4Z5 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


ROBERT  ERNEST  COWAN 


59ra  CONGRESS,  |   HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES,  j  DOCUMENT 

2d  Session.       (  j    No.  440. 


COLUMBIA  RIVER  AND  TRIBUTARIES  ABOVF,  CELILO 
FALLS,  OREGON  AND  WASHINGTON.  -     -  /-      /  / 

TO  / 

-fas 

LETTER 

/907 


THE  SECRETARY   OF   WAR, 

TBANSMITT1NG, 

WITH  A  LETTER  FROM  THE  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS,  REPORTS  OF 
EXAMINATION.AND  SURVEY  OF  COLUMBIA  RIVER  AND  TRIBU- 
TARIES, OREGON  AND  WASHINGTON. 


JANUARY  9,  1907. — Referred  to  the  Committee  on  Rivers  and  Harbors  and 
ordered  to  be  printed. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 

^Washington,  January  £,  1907. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  transmit  herewith  a  letter  from  the  Chief 
of  Engineers,  United  States  Army,  dated  8th  instant,  together  with 
copies  of  reports  from  Maj.  W.  C.  Langfitt  and  Maj.  John  Millis, 
Corps  of  Engineers,  dated  March  31  and  June  26,  1905,  on  pre- 
liminary examination,  and  from  First  Lieut.  F.  A.  Pope  and  Lieut. 
Col.  S.  W.  Koessler,  Corps  of  Engineers,  dated  November  16,  1905, 
and  November  27,  1906,  on  survey  of  Columbia  River  and  tribu- 
taries above  Celilo  Falls,  Oregon  and  Washington,  made  by  them 
in  compliance  with  the  provisions  of  the  river  and  harbor  act  of 
March  3,  1905. 

Very  respectfully,  .  WM.  H.  TAFT, 

/Secretary  of  War. 
The  SPEAKER  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 


WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
OFFICE  OF  THE  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS, 

Washington,  January  £,  1907. 

SIR  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  herewith  for  transmission  to  Con- 
gress reports  of  March  31  and  June  26,  1905,  by  Maj.  W.  C.  Lang- 
fitt and  Maj.  John  Millis,  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  respectively,  on 
preliminary  examination  and  reports  of  November  16,  1905,  and 

423251 


2       COLUMBIA    RIVER   AND   TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO   FALLS. 

November  27,  1906,  by  First  Lieut.  F.  A.  Pope  and  Lieut.  Col.  S.  W. 
Roessler,  of  the  Corps  of  Engineers,  respectively,  on  survey  author- 
ized by  the  river  and  harbor  act  approved  March  3,  1905,  as  follows : 
General  survey  or  examination  of  Columbia  River  and  tributaries  above 
Celilo  Falls  including  that  portion  between  Wenatchee  and  Kettle  Falls,  with 
a  view  to  open  channel  work. 

Owing  to  improvements  made  by  the  United  States,  navigation  is 
now  practicable  on  the  Columbia  River  from  the  mouth  as  far  up 
as  The  Dalles,  or  Fivemile,  Rapids,  at  which  point  work  is  now  in 
progress  to  overcome  the  obstructions  between  Threemile  Rapids  and 
Celilo  Falls.  Above  Celilo  Falls  some  work  has  been  carried  on  un- 
der various  projects  looking  to  the  betterment  of  particular  reaches, 
but  up  to  the  present  time  no  general  project  for  the  improvement 
of  the  river  has  been  adopted. 

The  plans  for  improvement  presented  in  these  reports  contemplate 
the  removal  of  rocks  and  bowlders  and  the  construction  of  dikes,  etc., 
for  the  purpose  of  providing  a  safer  navigation  of  those  portions 
of  the  upper  river  now  in  actual  use  or  which  will-  undoubtedly  be 
used  in  the  near  future  on  account  of  completed  improvements  at 
The  Dalles.  The  estimated  cost  of  the  work  proposed  for  that  part 
of  Columbia  River  from  Celilo  to  the  mouth  of  the  Snake  River,  a 
distance  of  about  125  miles,  is  $400,000,  and  for  that  part  above  the 
Snake  River  between  Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport,  a  distance  of  about 
80  miles,  is  $42,000.  Work  of  maintenance  below  the  Snake  River 
will  probably  be  required  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $30,000  annually. 
The  proposed  improvement  between  Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport  will 
probably  be  permanent  and  require  nothing  for  maintenance  beyond 
that  included  in  the  estimate  now  presented. 

I  concur  in  the  views  expressed  by  the  local  officers,  the  division 
engineer,  and  the  Board  of  Engineers  for  Rivers  and  Harbors  that 
Columbia  River  above  Celilo  Falls  is  worthy  of  further  improve- 
ment to  the  extent  indicated. 

The  principal  navigable  tributaries  of  the  upper  Columbia  River 
are  the  Snake,  Okanogan,  and  Pend  Oreille  rivers.  Some  work  has 
been  done  on  each  one  of  these  streams,  and  nothing  further  is  pro- 
posed beyond  what  is  covered  by  the  existing  projects  or  plans  that 
are  already  before  Congress. 

No  work  has  been  done  in  recent  years  on  Snake  River  between 
the  mouth  and  Riparia,  Wash.,  the  improvement  of  that  section  hav- 
ing been  temporarily  abandoned.  A  survey  of  this  part  of  the  river 
was  made  in  1897,  and  report  thereon  may  be  found  in  House  Docu- 
ment No.  411,  Fifty -fifth  Congress,  second  session;  also  in  Annual 
Report  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers  for  1898,  page  3013.  The  cost  of 
the  open-channel  work  proposed  was  estimated  at  $165,000,  with 
$3,000  annually  for  maintenance. 
Very  respectfully, 

A.  MACKENZIE, 
Brig.  Gen.,  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army. 

The  SECRETARY  or  WAR. 


COLUMBIA    EIVEK    AND   TRIBUTAEIES    ABOVE    CELTLO    FALLS.       3 

PRELIMINARY  EXAMINATION  Or  COLUMBIA  RIVER  BETWEEN  CELILO,  OREG., 
AND  MOUTH  OF  SNAKE  RIVER. 

UNITED  STATES  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 

Portland,  Oreg.,  March  31, 1905. 

GENERAL  :  In  compliance  with  instructions  contained  in  letter  from 
the  Office  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  dated  March  16,  1905, 1  have  the 
honor  to  submit  the  following  report  on  the  preliminary  examination 
of  the  Columbia  River  between  Celilo,  Oreg.,  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Snake  River. 

The  wording  of  the  item  in  the  river  and  harbor  act  of  March  3, 
1905,  is  as  follows: 

General  survey  or  examination  of  Columbia  River  and  tributaries  above 
Celilo  Falls  including  that  portion  bet\veen  Wenatcbee  and  Kettle  Falls,  with  a 
view  to  open  channel  work. 

******* 

*  This  report  covers  only  that  portion  of  the  Columbia 
River  between  Celilo  and  the  mouth  of  the  Snake  River,  a  distance 
of  about  120  miles. 

No  general  survey  has  ever  been  made  of  this  portion  of  the 
Columbia  River,  though  between  the  years  1867  and  1878  the  worst 
rapids  found  were  surveyed  and  some  of  them  improved  by  the 
removal  of  rocky  islands,  bowlders,  and  projecting  reefs. 

The  State  portage  railroad,  which  is  now  being  constructed  by  the 
State  of  Oregon  around  the  falls  and  rapids  between  Celilo  and  The 
Dalles,  is  expected  to  be  ready  for  operation  by  May  15,  1905,  and  it 
is  desirable  to  have  a  complete  survey  made  of  this"part  of  the  river 
as  a  general  aid  to  navigation  as  well  as  to  develop  localities  where 
open-channel  work  will  be  required,  and  since  in  any  case  the  im- 
provement of  this  portion  of  the  river  should  be  commenced  before 
The  Dalles-Celilo  Canal  is  completed,  it  would  seem  best  to  make  the 
survey  at  once,  so  that  during  the  construction  of  the  canal  a  project 
may  be  prepared  for  needed  improvements  to  the  navigable  channel. 

There  is  now  no  commerce  on  the  Columbia  River  above  Celilo,  but 
such  commerce  is  expected  to  develop  to  some  extent  as  soon  as  the 
portage  railroad  is  in  operation  and  to  a  considerably  greater  extent 
as  soon  as  the  canal  is  completed,  inasmuch  as  there  is  a  large  and 
productive  country  tributary  to  this  portion  of  the  river.  There  are 
no  navigable  tributaries  of  the  Columbia  between  Celilo  and  the 
Snake  River,  and  a  survey  of  the  latter  stream  is  not  considered  neces- 
sary at  the  present  time. 

For  the  above  reasons  it  is  recommended  that  a  complete  general 
survey  of  the  Columbia  River  between  Celilo  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Snake  River  be  made  during  the  coining  fall  and  winter. 

The  annual  high-water  season  in  the  Columbia  River  lasts  generally 
from  about  May  1  to  August  15,  and  in  all  probability  actual  survey 
work  can  not  begin  until  August  or  possibly  September. 

While,  as  before  stated,  there  is  a  large  and  productive  country 
tributary  to  this  section  of  the  Columbia  River,  there  are  few  towns 
close  to  the  river,  as  it  flows  generally  through  high  bluffs  more  or 
less  precipitous,  with  very  little  vegetation  and  subjected  in  some 
places  to  sand  storms.  Moreover,  judging  from  the  maps  on  file  in 
this  office,  the  river  will  average  2,000  feet  or  more  in  width. 


4       COLUMBIA    EIVEB    AND    TRIBUTABIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

Considering  the  above  conditions  and  the  fact  that  all  boats  and 
boat  material  used  on  the  survey  must  be  taken  from  Portland  or 
vicinity  to  the  mouth  of  the  Snake  River,  the  cost  will  be  compar- 
atively high. 

It  is  recommended  that  a  complete  connected  survey  of  the  whole 
distance  between  Celilo  and  the  mouth  of  the  Snake  be  made,  which 
it  is  estimated  will  cost  approximately  $100  per  mile,  or  a  total  of 
$12,000.  If  that  amount  of  money  can  not  be  made  available,  a 
complete  survey  can  be  made  only  at  such  localities  as  wTill  probably 
require  future  improvement,  and  these  various  localities  connected 
by  stadia  traverses  down  each  bank  with  occasional  lines  of  sound- 
ings at  an  estimated  cost  of  $65  per  mile,  or  a  total  of  $7,800. 

While  it  may  not  be  possible  to  have  the  report  of  a  survey  sub- 
mitted within  the  time  indicated  in  the  letter  of  the  Chief  of  Engi- 
neers above  referred  to,  every  effort  will  be  made,  if  a  survey  is 
authorized,  to  delay  it  as  little*  as  possible. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  C.  LANGFITT, 
Major,  Corps  of  Engineers. 
Brig.  Gen.  A.  MACKENZIE, 

Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A. 
(Through  the  Division  Engineer.) 

[First  indorsement.] 

U.  S.  ENGINEER  OFFICE,  NORTHERN  PACIFIC  DIVISION, 

San  Francisco,  Gal.,  April  3, 1905. 

Respectfully  forwarded  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  United  States 
Army,  recommending,  if  the  funds  can  be  spared,  that  a  complete 
survey  of  the  Columbia  River  between  Celilo  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Snake  River  be  authorized. 

W.  H.  HEUER, 
Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers, 

Division  Engineer. 

PRELIMINARY    EXAMINATION    OF    COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES 
ABOVE  SNAKE  RIVER,  WASHINGTON.. 

UNITED  STATES  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 

Seattle,  Wash.,  June  26, 1905. 

GENERAL  :  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report  of  pre- 
liminary examination  of  "  Columbia  River  and  tributaries  above 
Celilo  Falls  including  that  portion  between  Wenatchee  and  Kettle 
Falls,  with  a  view  to  open  channel  work,"  as  contemplated  by  the 
river  and  harbor  act  of  March  3,  1905,  and  the  instructions  from  the 
Chief  of  Engineers  of  March  27,  1905. 

I  have  personally  examined  the  river  from  Rock  Island  Rapids  to 
Bridgeport,  near  the  mouth  of  Foster  Creek,  a  distance  of  about  90 
miles,  and  at  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  crossing  at  Kennewick, 
near  Pasco.  I  have  also  seen  that  part  from  Celilo  Falls  to  Umatilla 
in  passing  on  the  railroad,  but  I  have  not  heard  of  any  desired  im- 
provements there,  and  I  understand  that  the  portion  to  be  covered 
by  my  examination  does  not  include  the  Columbia  below  the  mouth 
of  the  Snake  River. 

The  usual  notices  and  general  invitations  to  persons  interested 


COLUMBIA    RIVEE    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO   FALLS.       5 

to  submit  suggestions  were  issued  upon  receipt  of  instructions  to 
make  the  examination,  and  I  send  herewith  the  following : a 

April  28,  1905 :  Copy  of  letter  from  C.  E.  Hansen,  dated  April  28,  1905,  sub- 
mitting report  relative  to  boats,  tonnage,  etc.,  on  upper  Columbia  and  Okanogan 
rivers. 

May  24,  1905:  Copy  of  letter  from  C.  E.  Hansen,  reporting  steamer  Gerome 
making  trip  from  Wenatchee  to  Kennewick;  also  relative  to  proposed  naviga- 
tion on  the  Yakima  River. 

June  1,  1905:  Copy  of  letter  from  the  committee  of  the  Commercial  Club  of 
Wenatchee  on  improvements  of  the  Columbia  River,  relative  to  amount  of  com- 
merce between  Wenatchee  and  Kettle  Falls. 

From  the  communication  from  the  Wenatchee  Commercial  Club  it 
appears  that  the  specific  points  where  improvements  are  now  desired 
are  at  Entiat  Rapids,  Methow  Rapids,  and  Foster  Creek  Rapids.  I 
have  passed  over  the  two  former,  both  up  and  down,  but  have  not 
seen  the  Foster  Creek  Rapids. 

A  number  of  surveys  of  the  upper  Columbia  River  and  its  various 
rapids  have  been  made,  and  the  work  of  improvement  in  the  way  of 
rock  removal  has  been  done  at  Priest  Rapids,  Cabinet  Rapids,  and 
Rock  Island  Rapids,  all  below  Wenatchee,  and  at  Rocky  Reach  above 
Wenatchee.  All  of  the  above  consisted  of  rock  removal.  The  total 
appropriation  was  $70,000. 

The  Okanogan  and  the  Pend  Oreille  rivers  are  the  only  tributaries 
above  the  Snake  that  call  for  serious  consideration  as  navigable, 
streams,  and  both  are  under  improvement.  From  Wenatchee  east- 
ward the  "  Big  Bend  country,"  an  elevated  plateau  south  of  the 
river,  is  being  rapidly  settled  and  brought  under  cultivation  under 
improved  methods  of  agriculture,  in  the  absence  of  which  much  of 
the  country  was  formerly  regarded  as  practically  worthless.  The 
lowlands  on  the  "  benches  "  along  the  main  river  and  its  tributaries 
are  also  being  utilized  by  individual  irrigation  projects,  and  exten- 
sive irrigation  projects  with  Government  assistance  are  now  being 
formulated. 

A  large  portion  of  this  country  has  at  present  no  other  practicable 
outlet  except  by  the  river,  and  the  Columbia  must  remain  for  a  long 
time  to  come  the  principal  highway  for  a  large  area.  Navigation 
of  this  part  of  the  river  is  difficult,  and  in  places  not  entirely  safe 
at  certain  stages.  The  proposed  work  of  improvement  would  consist 
almost  entirely  of  rock  removal  and  it  would  be  permanent  in  its 
results. 

I  believe  the  work  of  improving  the  river  in  the  manner  indicated 
to  be  worthy  of  being  done  by  the  General  Government,  and  I 
recommend  that  necessary  surveys  be  made  and  that  estimates  be 
prepared  accordingly.  Probably  little  fieldwork,  if  any,  would  be 
necessary,  since  detailed  surveys  have  been  made  at  all  the  localities 
where  improvements  are  now  suggested,  and  maps  sufficient  for  the 
purpose  are  now  filed  here,  except  perhaps  for  Foster  Creek  Rapids. 

I  estimate  that  necessary  surveys  and  estimates  can  be  made  for 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  MILLIS, 

Major,  Corps  of  Engineers. 
Brig.  Gen.  A.  MACKENZIE, 

Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A. 
(Through  the  Division  Engineer.) 

«  Not  printed. 


6       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND   TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 
[First  indorsement.] 

U.  S.  ENGINEER  OFFICE,  NORTHERN  PACIFIC  DIVISION, 

San  Francisco,  Gal.,  June  30, 1905. 

Respectfully  forwarded  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  United  States 
Army. 

I  believe  the  Columbia  River  and  tributaries  above  Celilo  Falls 
are  worthy  of  improvement,  and  recommend  that,  if  practicable,  an 
allotment  of  $600  be  made  with  which  to  make  surveys  and  estimates 
and  a  project  for  improvement. 

W.  H.  HEUER, 
Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers, 

Division  Engineer. 

[Second  indorsement.] 

BOARD  OF  ENGINEERS  FOR  RIVERS  AND  HARBORS, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  July  14,  1905. 

Respectfully  returned  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  United  States 
Army. 

Section  9  of  the  river  and  harbor  act  of  March  3,  1905,  contains 
the  following  item : 

General  survey  or  examination  of  Columbia  River  and  tributaries  above 
Celilo  Falls  including  that  portion  between  Wenatchee  and  Kettle  Falls,  with  a 
view  to  open  channel  work. 

The  within  report  covers  that  portion  of  the  Columbia  River  be- 
tween Celilo  Falls  and  the  mouth  of  Snake  River.  Accompanying 
is  a  report  by  another  officer  covering  the  portion  of  the  Columbia 
and  its  tributaries  called  for  in  the  act,  above  the  mouth  of  the  Snake. 
Both  these  reports,  the  communications  accompanying,  and  such 
other  data  as  are  available  have  been  considered  by  the  Board  of 
Engineers  for  Rivers  and  Harbors. 

The  distance  from  Celilo  Falls  to  the  mouth  of  Snake  River  is 
about  120.  miles.  This  section  of  river  has  never  been  surveyed,  and 
but  little  work  done  upon  it.  At  the  present  time  there  is  no  com- 
merce upon  it,  but  it  is  expected  that  a  traffic  of  some  extent  will  de- 
velop in  the  near  future,  as  the  State  portage  railroad  has  just  been 
put  in  operation,  and  a  greater  development  of  commerce  is  expected 
as  soon  as  the  Celilo  Canal  is  completed. 

Based  on  this  prospective  commerce,  it  is  believed  that  the  Co- 
lumbia River  between  Celilo  Falls  and  the  mouth  of  Snake  River  is 
worthy  of  a  moderate  improvement  if  it  can  be  made  at  a  reasonable 
cost. 

With  reference  to  the  river  above  the  Snake,  it  appears  that  the 
improvement  desired  is  at  three  localities  between  Wenatchee  and  a 
point  near  Bridgeport.  On  this  section  of  the  river,  about  77  miles 
in  extent,  there  is  a  regular  line  of  boats  making  daily  trips  to  Brew- 
ster  and  biweekly  trips  to  Bridgeport.  It  is  reported  that  in  1904 
the  commerce  amounted  to  23,000  tons  and  13,600  passengers.  There 
appears  to  be  considerable  agricultural  development  in  this  locality, 
and  the  river  is  the  main  artery  over  which  the  principal  business  is 
carried. 

The  Board  concurs  in  the  opinion  of  the  district  officer  and  division 
engineer  that  the  Columbia  River  between  Wenatchee  and  Bridge- 
port is  worthy  of  a  moderate  improvement,  and  recommends  that  a 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        7 

survey  and  estimate  of  cost  be  authorized,  and  further  that  a  survey 
of  the  Columbia  Eiver  between  Celilo  Falls  and  the  Snake- Kiver,  at 
an  estimated  cost  of  $7,800,  be  made. 
For  the  Board: 

D.  W.  LOCKWOOD, 
Lieut.  Col.,  Corps  of  Engineers, 

Senior  Member  of  the  Board. 

[Third  indorsement] 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 
OFFICE  OF  THE  CHIEF  OF  ENGINEERS, 

Washington,  July  24,  1905. 

Respectfully  submitted  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 
The  accompanying  reports  relate  to  a  preliminary  examination  of 
Columbia  River  and  tributaries  above  Celilo  Falls,  including  that 
portion  between  Wenatchee  and  Kettle  Falls,  authorized  by  the  river 
and  harbor  act  of  March  3,  1905. 

Inviting  attention  to  the  report  of  the  Board  of  Engineers  for 
Rivers  and  Harbors  in  the  preceding  indorsement,  I  recommend  that 
a  survey  of  the  riA^er  as  proposed  by  the  Board  be  authorized. 

A.  MACKENZIE, 
Brig.  Gen.,  Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  Army. 

[Fourth   indorsement.] 

WAR  DEPARTMENT, 

July  25, 1905. 

Approved  as  recommended  by  the  Chief  of  Engineers  in  the  pre- 
ceding indorsement. 

ROBERT  SHAW  OLIVER, 
Acting  Secretary  of  War. 


SURVEY    OF     COLUMBIA     RIVER    BETWEEN     WENATCHEE    AND    BRIDGEPORT, 

WASH. 

UNITED  STATES  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 
Seattle,  Wash.,  November  16, 1905. 

GENERAL  :  In  compliance  with  instructions  contained  in  your  letter 
of  July  28,  1905,  to  Maj.  John  Millis,  Corps  of  Engineers, 'l  have  the 
honor  to  submit  the  following  report  on  a  survey  of  the  Columbia 
River  between  Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport,  Wash.,  with  estimate  of 
cost  of  removal  of  obstructions  to  navigation. 

A  complete  survey  covering  this  part  of  the  Columbia  River  was 
made  in  1894  under  the  direction  of  Capt.  (now  Lieut.  Col.)  Thomas 
W.  Symons,  Corps  of  Engineers,  and  his  report,  with  maps,  was 
published  in  the  Annual  Report  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers  for  1895, 
Part  5,  pages  3534-3542. 

On  October"  24  and  25,  1905,  I  made  a  personal  examination  of  the 
Columbia  River  between  Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport  and  concluded 
that  further  detailed  surveys  would  not  be  necessary  to  prepare  an 
estimate  and  project  for  the  work  required.  The  maps  accompany- 
ing the  report  of  survey  made  in  1894  are  in  sufficient  detail  to  show 


8       COLUMBIA    RIVEE    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

the  nature  of  the  obstructions  which  require  removal  in  the  interests 
of  navigation.  A  new  map  a  has  been  prepared  from  surveys  made 
in  1891  and  1894,  showing  that  part  of  the  river  now  under  consider- 
ation. From  the  nature  of  the  obstructions  no  changes  of  conse- 
quence have  taken  place  since  1894  in  the  obstructions  to  navigation, 
which  consist  entirely  of  rocks  and  gravel  bars. 

Since  1894  the  traffic  on  this  part  of  the  river  has  increased  from 
one  small  steamer,  making  occasional  trips,  to  six  stern-wheel  steam- 
ers varying  from  165  feet  long  and  30  feet  beam  to  75  feet  long  and 
16  feet  beam,  making  regular  trips  when  the  stage  of  water  permits. 
The  improvements  required  to  permit  safe  navigation  of  the  river 
consist  of  removal  of  rocks  and '  bowlders,  some  of  which  are  sub- 
merged, and  the  construction  of  wing  dams  and  dikes  to  concentrate 
the  flow  of  water  in  one  channel  where  more  than  one  exists. 

The  Columbia  Eiver  between  Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport  is  the 
only  outlet  for  a  large  area  and  will  probably  remain  so  for  some 
time.  The  distance  from  Wenatchee  to  Bridgeport  is  about  80  miles, 
and  this  part  of  the  river  is  navigated  with  difficulty,  and  at  some 
places  it  is  not  entirely  safe.  Between  Wenatchee  and  Orpndo,  a 
distance  of  17  miles,  the  obstructions  to  be  removed  are  isolated 
bowlders  and  reefs  in  the  steamboat  channel.  The  estimated  cost 
of  the  work  required  between  these  points  is  based  on  the  cost  of 
operating  a  floating  plant  for  drilling  and  blasting  the  rocks,  etc. 
The  cost  of  a  detailed  survey  of  each  obstruction  would  be  excessive 
and  unnecessary.  Most  of  the  obstructions  are  below  the  low-water 
plane  and  their  exact  location  would  not  add  materially  to  the 
information  now  at  hand. 

At  Entiat  Rapids  the  river  can  be  navigated  by  vessels  under 
their  own  steam  at  high  water,  but  at  low  water  lining  is  necessary, 
which  operation  is  troublesome  and  dangerous  and  results  in  tedious 
delays.  The  river  is  here  divided  into  three  channels  and  the  plan 
of  improvement  proposed  is  to  close  the  channel  on  the  left  at  its 
upper  end  by  a  dike  of  stone,  900  feet  long,  which  will  concentrate 
the  flow  of  water  in  the  middle  channel  and  deepen  this  channel  by 
scour  of  the  gravel  bottom.  The  present  low-water  fall  will  also 
be  extended  and  reduced.  An  abundance  of  suitable  stone,  already 
quarried,  for  construction  of  a  dike  is  found  in  the  vicinity.  The 
worst  obstructions  to  navigation  in  the  portion  of  the  river  under 
consideration  are  found  at  Entiat  Rapids,  and  the  importance  of  the 
improvement  of  the  river  at  this  place  is  greater  than  at  any  other. 

Near  Chelan  City  the  river  at  low  water  is  divided  by  a  gravel 
bar  into  two  channels,  which  are  shallow.  It  is  proposed  to  close 
the  right  channel  by  a  short  stone  dike  and  force  all  of  the  water 
through  one  channel — the  left  one — and  to  remove  a  bowlder  near 
Chelan  City. 

At  Methow  Rapids  the  water  is  deep  and  the  current  is  not  a 
material  obstacle  to  navigation  at  low  water.  At  high  water  the 
velocity  of  the  current  is  greatly  intensified.  The  improvement  pro- 
posed is  the  removal  of  rocks  at  "  E,"  "  C,"  and  "  B,"  shown  on 
detailed  sketch  of  these  rapids;  to  remove  Ringbolt  rock  above  low- 
water  level  and  construct  a  wing  dam  about  150  feet  long  at  "  G." 
Two  large  bowlders  above  Methow  Rapids  are  also  to  be  removed. 

o  Not  printed. 


COLUMBIA    EIVEE    AND   TKIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO   FALLS.       9 

No  work  is  at  present  contemplated  between  Methow  Landing  and 
Bridgeport. 

The  estimated  cost  of  the  improvement  outlined  is  as  follows : 

Removal  of  rocks,  bowlders,  etc.,  between  Wenatchee  and  Orondo $12,  750 

Dike  at  Entiat  Rapids  900  feet  long,  23,000  tons  of  stone,  at  60  cents__  13,  800 

Dike  at  Chelan  City,  500  tons  of  stone,  at  $1 500 

Removing  bowlders  at  Chelan  City 300 

Removing  rock  at  Methow  Rapids,  8,000  cubic  yards,  at  $1 8,  000 

Wing  dam  at  Methow  Rapids 2,  000 

Removing  bowlders  above  Methow  Landing 500 


Total 37, 850 

Contingencies,  10  per  cent 3,  785 


Total 41, 635 

In  round  numbers 42,000 

The  proposed  improvement  will  be  permanent  in  its  result,  and 
there  will  be  no  cost  for  annual  maintenance  except  for  the  dikes  at 
JCntiat  Rapids,  which  may  require  some  filling  after  the  effects  of 
the  first  high  water  in  summer  and  the  action  of  ice  in  winter  are 
known.  A  charge  of  5  cents  per  ton  has  been  added  to  provide  for 
this  contingency. 

When  work  of  improvement  was  last  carried  on  in  1894-5  the  com- 
mercial statistics  for  the  fiscal  year  1895  were  given  as  6,000  tons, 
valued  at  $180,000.  Total  number  of  passengers  carried,  1,350.  From 
the  report12  made  by  the  Commercial  Club  of  Wenatchee  on  June  1, 
1905  (forwarded  with  report  on  preliminary  examination  submitted 
by  Major  Millis  on  June  26,  1905),  the  following  statement  of  the 
commerce  between  Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport  for  the  calendar  year 
1904  is  taken : 

Tons. 

Freight  carried  upstream 9,000 

Freight  carried  downstream 15,  000 

Total 24,  000 

Number  of  passengers  carried,  13,600. 

The  following  is  an  abstract  statement  of  the  commerce  for  the 
calendar  year  1904-5,  compiled  from  the  statement  furnished  by 
the  Columbia  and  Okanogan  Steamboat  Company : 


Year. 

Up-river. 

Down-river. 

Total. 

Tons. 

Value. 

Tons. 

Value. 

Tons. 

Value. 

1904 

9  448 

$1  794  200 

15,058 
28,056 

$457,  390 
939,060 

24,506 
39,  827 

82,251,590 
3,169,060 

1905  a 

11,771 

2,230,000 

a  Estimated  for  months  of  November  and  December,  1905. 

13,222  passengers  were  carried  in  1904. 

29,767  passengers  will  have  been  carried  in  1905. 

From  the  results  of  my  examination  and  from  consultation  with 
persons  acquainted  with  the  conditions,  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the 
improvement  of  the  Columbia  River  between  Wenatchee.  and  Bridge- 
port by  the  General  Government  to  the  extent  outlined  in  this  report 
is  justified  by  the  present  and  prospective  commercial  interests  in- 
volved. 

o  Not  printed. 


10       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

There  are  sent  herewith  copy  of  report a  by  Mr.  J.  M.  Clapp,  as- 
sistant engineer,  on  the  improvement  of  the  Columbia  River  between 
Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport ;  tracing  a  showing  that  part  of  the  river 
under  consideration,  made  from  survey  of  1894,  for  the  part  between 
the  mouth  of  the  Okanogan  River  and  Wenatchee,  and  from  survey 
of  1891  for  the  part  of  the  river  between  Bridgeport  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Okanogan  River ;  also  letter  °  and  statement  of  tonnage  from 
Mr.  T.  A.  Davies,  manager  of  the  Columbia  and  Okanogan  Steam- 
boat Company. 

Very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

F.  A.  POPE, 

First  Lieutenant,  Corps  of  Engineers. 
Brig.  Gen.  A.  MACKENZIE, 

Chief  of  Engineers,  U.S.A. 
(Through  Division  Engineer.) 

[First  indorsement.] 

U.  S.  ENGINEER  OFFICE,  PACIFIC  DIVISION, 

San  Francisco,  Col.,  December  1, 1905. 

Respectfully  forwarded  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  United  States 
Army. 

In  view  of  the  great  increase  of  commerce  and  difficulties  of  trans- 
portation in  this  section  of  country,  I  think  the  river  is  worthy  of 
improvement  to  the  extent  of  $42,000,  and  on  the  plans  recommended 
by  Lieutenant  Pope. 

W.  H.  HEUER, 
Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers, 

Division  Engineer. 


SURVEY  OF  COLUMBIA  RIVER  BETWEEN  CELILO  FALLS  AND  SNAKE  RIVER, 
WASHINGTON. 

UNITED  STATES  ENGINEER  OFFICE, 

Portland,  Oreg.,  November  27,  1906. 

GENERAL:  The  river  and  harbor  act  approved  March  3,  1905,  con- 
tained the  following  provisions: 

General  survey  or  examination  of  Columbia  River  and  tributaries  above 
Celilo  Falls  including  that  portion  between  Wenatchee  and  Kettle  Falls,  with 
a  view  to  open  channel  work. 

The  survey  of  so  much  of  the  Columbia  River  as  is  included  be- 
tween the  mouth  of  the  Snake  River  and  Celilo  Falls  was  assigned 
to  this  office  by  your  letter  dated  July  28,  1905.  The  survey  ex- 
tended over  a  period  of  six  months,  from  August  28,  1905,  to  Feb- 
ruary 28,  1906.  The  maps  a  were  completed  June  20,  1906,  but  only 
until  recently  has  the  desired  data  been  obtained  on  the  probable 
influence  of  open-river  work  on  the  rate-regulating  question. 

A  few  of  the  most  difficult  rapids  have  been  surveyed  heretofore, 
but  no  connected  survey  of  the  whole  stretch  of  river  in  question  had 
ever  been  made.  It  was  therefore  necessary  in  the  present  survey  to 
carry  a  continuous  system  of  triangulation  from  the  mouth  of  the 

a  Not  printed. 


COLUMBIA    RIVER   AND    TRIBUTARIES   ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.       11 

Snake  to  Celilo,  attempting,  however,  only  such  degree  of  accuracy 
as  was  possible  wjth  the  funds  available  and  necessary  to  the  pur- 
pose in  view.  Three  hundred  and  fourteen  triangulation  stations 
were  occupied  and  three  to  six  permanent  points  were  established  at 
each  rapid  where  future  improvement  will  probably  be  required.  A 
level  line  was  carried  down  the  left  bank  of  the  river  and  water-sur- 
face elevations  were  taken  opposite  the  triangulation  points.  Per- 
manent bench  marks  were  established  at  all  rapids  near  the  triangu- 
lation points. 

The  lines  of  soundings  were  located  from  50  feet  apart  where  ob- 
structions existed  to  1,300  feet  apart  in  pools  where  no  obstructions 
were  in  evidence.  In  smooth  water  soundings  were  taken  about  100 
feet  apart  on  time  intervals  and  in  rapids  as  frequently  as  could  be 
taken,  and  every  third  sounding  was  located  by  stadia.  All  channel 
rocks,  edges  of  reefs,  and  shoals  were  located  by  stadia.  Topography 
was  also  put  in  by  stadia  from  triangulation  stations.  The  maps0 
accompanying  this  report  are  27  in  number.  Fifteen  of  these  are 
general  maps  of  the  river,  drawn  to  a  scale  of  1 :10000 ;  the  other  12 
show  details  of  the  rapids  and  are  drawn  to  a  scale  of  1  inch  to  200 
feet.  The  profile  of  river  on  one  additional  sheet  °  is  drawn  to  a  scale 
of  1  inch  to  2,000  feet  horizontally  and  1  inch  to  20  feet  vertically. 
The  field  work  was  done  by  a  party  of  11  men,  under  a  junior  engi- 
neer, which  was  at  first  quartered  in  tents  and  later  in  two  small 
quarter  boats,  which  were  dropped  downstream  as  the  work  pro- 
gressed. Soundings  were  taken  from  a  small  power  launch. 

The  two  great  obstructions  at  the  Cascades  and  The  Dalles  divide 
the  river  into  three  sections,  designated,  respectively,  the  lower,  mid- 
dle, and  upper  Columbia.  The  locks  at  the  Cascades  have  connected 
the  lower  and  middle  reaches,  and  the  canal  now  under  construction 
around  The  Dalles  will  eventually  connect  the  middle  with  the  upper 
Columbia.  The  portion  of  the  river  under  consideration  is  the  lower 
section  of  the  upper  Columbia,  and  its  improvement  is  a  necessary 
sequence  to  the  great  canal  around  the  obstructions  of  The  Dalles. 
Its  improvement  should,  however,  not  be  deferred  because  the  canal 
may  not  be  completed  for  many  years.  A  portage  road  8i  miles 
long,  paralleling  the  route  of  the  proposed  canal,  has  been  constructed 
by  the  State  of  Oregon  as  a  temporary  means  of  establishing  traffic 
on  the  upper  Columbia,  and  since  its  completion  about  a  year  ago  has 
done  some  business  in  connection  with  two  boats  which  have  operated 
a  portion  of  the  year  between  Celilo  and  points  higher  up  the  river. 

The  extent  to  which  the  portage  road,  as  a  temporary  link  in  the 
chain  of  communication  by  river  between  Portland  and  the  upper 
Columbia,  will  afford  the  desired  competition  to  railroad  rates  will 
depend  in  large  measure  upon  the  work  the  General  Government 
may  do  in  the  near  future  in  removing  dangerous  rocks  and  bowlders 
from  the  worst  rapids.  It  will  be  advantageous,  therefore,  in  my 
opinion,  to  begin  the  improvements  in  the  upper  Columbia  at  once, 
making  the  more  difficult  and  dangerous  places  safe  for  present  traffic 
and  extending  the  improvement  under  suc)i  appropriations  as  Con- 
gress may  from  time  to  time  make,  with  the  expectation  of  getting  a 
reasonably  good  river  by  the  time  the  canal  is  opened  to  traffic. 

The  length  of  the  Columbia  between  Celilo  and  the  mouth  of  the 

«  Not  printed. 


12       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND   TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

Snake  River  is  124.1  miles  and  the  total  fall  of  low  water  184.5  feet. 
Of  this  fall,  86.1  feet  is  concentrated  over  16  rapids,  having  an 
aggregate  length  of  19  miles,  the  slope  per  mile  at  these  points  vary- 
ing from  3  feet  at  Hells  Gate  to  8.3  feet  at  Devils  bend.  The  average 
slope  at  low  water  over  the  reaches  between  rapids  is  0.93  foot  per 
mile.  No  velocity  measurements  were  taken.  One  experienced  pilot 
estimates  the  velocity  at  the  swiftest  point  at  8  miles  per  hour  at  low 
water.  This  high  velocity  must  always  constitute  a  considerable 
impediment  to  the  carrying  of  large  cargoes  upstream,  but  will  not 
prevent,  of  course,  the  taking  of  full  loads  downstream. 

The  obstructions  complained  of  are  the  bowlders  and  ledges  which 
lie  in  and  close  to  the  channel  which  boats  must  follow  in  passing 
through  the  rapids.  Their  removal  is  the  first  work  to  be  undertaken, 
and  they  should  be  taken  out  for  a  sufficient  width  at  each  rapid  to 
give  the  boats  such  leeway  in  swinging  as  the  local  conditions  may 
require.  There  may  be  less  depth  at  dead  low  water  at  a  few  points, 
as  at  Homly  Rapids,  than  navigators  may  desire  for  uninterrupted 
navigation  during  the  low-water  period,  but  lack  of  depth  is  of  minor 
importance  at  the  present  time  as  compared  with  the  supreme  neces- 
sity of  making  safe  the  depths  that  now  exist — approximately  3  feet 
at  low  water  at  the  shoalest  point.  The  project  here  presented  does 
not  contemplate,  therefore,  any  increase  in  depth  beyond  what  may 
result  from  raking  a  few  gravel  shoals,  but  aims  to  make  available 
present  depths  by  removing  obstructing  bowlders  and  ledges.  This 
plan  is  in  accordance  with  the  opinion  of  one  of  the  most  experienced 
pilots  on  the  river,  Capt.  W.  P.  Grey. 

Following  the.  idea  above  outlined,  the  work  required  at  each  of  the 
principal  rapids  has  been  approximated  as  closely  as  practicable.  A 
close  estimate  of  the  size  of  bowlders  or  cubic  contents  of  ledges  to 
be  removed  would  have  been  possible  only  by  means  of  costly  surveys, 
and  such  surveys  could  not  be  made  with  the  funds  in  hand.  Gen- 
erally the  size  and  contents  of  bowlders  were  estimated  by  the  eye 
without  actual  measurement.  The  cost  of  removing  rocks  and  ledges 
in  the  rapids  is  no  easier  of  approximation  than  the  cubical  contents. 
It  need  not  be  stated  that  to  remove  bowlders  and  ledges  in  a  swift 
and  surging  current  is  a  difficult  and  costly  operation,  as  uncertain  as 
to  cost  as  the  wind  and  other  controlling  conditions  are  uncertain. 

A  steamboat  as  tender,  besides  other  plant,  will  be  required,  whose 
running  expenses  will  go  on,  however  much  the  work  may  be  delayed 
by  adverse  conditions,  such  as  a  succession  of  beam  winds",  frequent  in 
this  locality,  which  might  blow  a  steamer  sideways  upon  rocks  if 
work  were  attempted  on  unfavorable  days.  The  improvements  be- 
tween 1868  and  1881  cost  from  $17  to  $36  per  cubic  yard  of  bowl- 
ders and  ledges,  while  in  1882-83  on  the  Snake  River  a  small  amount 
of  rockwork  was  done  at  $12  per  cubic  yard.  In  the  following  esti- 
mate the  base  price  for  rockwork  is  assumed  at  $15  per  cubic  yard. 
The  aforesaid  improvements  between  1868  and  1882  were  made  under, 
appropriations  aggregating  $180,000,  and  the  further  work  here  pro- 
posed is  practically  an  extension  of  these  earlier  improvements  save 
in  the  matter  of  low-water  depth,  which  is  not  now  given  as  much 
consideration  as  it  formerly  received. 

The  principal  rapids  and  the  improvements  proposed  at  each  are 
here  below  described  in  the  order  in  which  they  are  met,  going  down- 
stream from  the  mouth  of  the  Snake.  Improvement  at  points  not 


COLUMBIA    EIVEB    AND    TRIBUTAEIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        13 

specifically  mentioned  will  doubtless  be  necessary  after  relief  has  been 
given  at  the  more  dangerous  passages,  and  the  cost  of  this  latter  work 
is  estimated  in  a  lump  sum  in  the  summarized  statement  of  cost. 
A  complete  list  of  all  the  rapids  is  appended  to  this  report. 

Homly  Rapids  (6  miles}. — Here  gravel  bars  divide  the  flow  of 
water  into  several  channels  at  low  water,-  all  of  which  are  shoal  and 
more  or  less  obstructed  with  bowlders  and  with  possible  outcroppings 
of  rock.  The  channel  used  by  the  steamboats  has  a  fall  of  8.1  feet 
in  1.6  miles,  or  an  average  fall  of  over  5  feet  per  mile. 

The  improvement  heretofore  made  comprises  the  removal  of  one 
reef  and  eight  separate  rocks,  aggregating  118  cubic  yards,  in  1875, 
and  156  cubic  yards  in  1879.  The  further  improvement  proposed  is 
the  removal  by  blasting  of  channel  bowlders  as  shown  on  sheet  No.  la, 
the  raking  or  dredging  of  gravel  shoals  if  necessary,  and  the  blasting 
of  any  obstructing  rocky  points  that  may  now  be  covered  by  the 
gravel  bed.  Also  the  removal  of  bowlders  at  flag  No.  8,  below  the 
root  of  the  rapids,  as  shown  on  sheet  No.  1,  estimated  approximately 
as  follows: 

2,000  cubic  yards  rock  and  bcwlders,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $80,000 

Dredging  and  raking  gravel  shoals 5,000 

Two  Sisters  shoal  (12  miles}. — Here  the  river  is  divided  into 
several  channels,  and  the  steamboat  channel  is  narrow  because  of  en- 
croaching gravel  shoals  and  a  projecting  rock  ledge. 

No  previous  improvement  has  been  made  at  this  shoal.     That  now 
proposed  is  to  widen  and  deepen  the  channel  by  raking  or  dredging, 
as  shown  on  sheet  No.  2,  estimated  approximately  as  follows : 
Raking  or  dredging  gravel $1,000 

Umatilla  Rapids  (30  miles). — These  rapids  are  2|  miles  in  length 
and  are  divided  into  three  stretches,  designated  as  upper,  middle, 
and  lower  rapids.  Their  total  fall  is  16  feet,  or  an  average  of  6.4 
feet  per  mile.  The  river  at  this  point  is  divided  into  numerous 
channels  by  rocky  ledges  and  the  steamboat  channel  is  obstructed 
by  small  ledges  and  isolated  rocks  and  bowlders,  as  shown  upon 
sheets  Nos.  4a  and  4b.  The  steamboat  channel  is  narrow  and  tor- 
tuous and  in  the  upper  rapids  runs  almost  crosswise  the  general 
trend  of  the  river,  making  navigation  extremely  hazardous. 

Improvements  were  carried  on  almost  continuously  between  1872 
and  1879,  during  which  period  a  total  of  1,042  cubic  yards  of  ledge 
and  bowlders  were  removed  from  the  channel.  The  further  improve- 
ment proposed  is  the  widening  and  straightening  of  the  channel  by 
the  removal  of  portions  of  rock  ledges  and  of  the  removal  of  the 
mid-channel  ledges  and  bowlders  indicated  on  the  sheets  Nos.  4a  and 
4b  above  mentioned,  estimated  approximately  as  follows : 
8,000  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $120, 000 

Devils  Bend  Rapids  (38%  miles] . — Here  the  channel  runs  through 
bed  rock  and  the  course  of  steamboats  is  more  or  less  obstructed  with 
high  points  of  bed  rock.  The  rapids  are  three- fourths  of  a  mile  in 
length  and  have  a  total  fall  of  6.6  feet,  or  an  average  of  8.3  feet  per 
mile. 

The  improvement  heretofore  made  at  this  point  consisted  of  the 
removal  of  some  200  cubic  yards  of  rock  and  bowlders  in  1873.  The 
further  improvement  proposed  is  the  removal  by  blasting  of  the 


14       COLUMBIA    KIVEB    AND   TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

channel  obstructions,  shown  on  sheet  No.  5a,  estimated  approximately 

as  follows : 

4,000  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $60,000 

Canoe  Encampment  Rapids  (59%  miles'). — The  river  at  this  point  is 
wide  with  a  rough  bed-rock  bottom  with  numerous  projecting  ledges 
in  mid-channel.  The  steamboat  channel  is  crooked  and  difficult  to 
navigate  because  of  these  obstructions.  The  rapids  are  1£  miles  in 
length  and  have  a  total  fall  of  6  feet,  or  an  average  fall  of  4.7  feet 
per  mile. 

No  previous  improvement  has  been  made  at  this  rapid  and  that 
now  proposed  is  the  removal  by  blasting  of  the  channel  obstructions, 
shown  on  sheet  No.  7a,  estimated  approximately  as  follows : 
3,000  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $45,  000 

Owyhee  Rapids  (84%  miles). — Here  the  river  is  wide  and  com- 
paratively shoal,  but  is  not  seriously  obstructed.  The  rapids  are 
about  2^  miles  in  length  and  have  a  total  fall  of  9  feet,  or  an  average 
fall  of  3.5  feet  per  mile. 

The  improvement  heretofore  made  at  this  point  consisted  of  the 
removal  in  1876  of  68  cubic  yards  of  rock  from  the  channel.  The 
additional  improvement  now  proposed  consists  of  the  removal  by 
blasting  of  one  reef  known  as  "  John  Stump  rock,"  as  shown  on  sheet 
No.  lOa,  estimated  approximately  as  follows: 
800  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $12,  000 

Rock  Creek  Rapids  (96  miles). — These  rapids  are  formed  by  bro- 
ken bed-rock  reefs,  which  divide  the  run  into  several  channels.  The 
present  steamboat  channel  downstream  follows  closely  the  Washing- 
ton shore,  and  coming  upstream  follows  the  center  of  the  river.  The 
rapids  are  about  three- fourths  of  a  mile  in  length  and  have  a  total 
fall  of  4.1  feet,  or  an  average  fall  of  about  6  feet  per  mile. 

No  previous  improvement  has  been  made  at  these  rapids,  and  that 
now  proposed  is  the  removal  by  blasting  of  one  small  reef  at  the  head 
of  the  rapids  and  a  submerged  rock  in  the  upstream  channel,  as 
shown  on  sheet  No.  12a,  estimated  approximately  as  follows : 
140  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $2, 100 

Squally  Hook  Rapids  (101%  miles). — The  river  at  this  point  is 
divided  into  numerous  channels  flowing  between  rocky  reefs  and 
ledges.  The  steamboat  channel  is  crooked  and  is  obstructed  at  sev- 
eral points  by  rocks  ami  projecting  reefs.  The  rapids  are  less  than 
three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  length  and  have  a  fall  of  over  6  feet,  or  an 
average  fall  of  8.9  feet  per  mile. 

The  improvement  heretofore  made  at  these  rapids  consisted  of  the 
removal  in  1874  of  six  rocks  from  the  channel,  aggregating  192  cubic 
yards,  and  in  1876  of  the  removal  of  an  additional  150  cubic  yards  of 
rock.  The  additional  improvement  now  proposed  consists  of  the 
removal  by  blasting  of  the  rocks  and  reefs  in  the  main  channel  at  the 
head  and  foot  of  rapids,  as  shown  on  sheet  No.  12b,  estimated  approx- 
imately as  follows : 
1,600  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $24,  000 

Indian  Rapids  (105  miles). — The  river  at  this  point  is  largely  con- 
fined to  one  deep  channel  in  the  bed  rock.  The  principal  obstruction 
is  the  sharp  turn  at  the  head  of  the  rapids.  The  rapids  are  one-third 


COLUMBIA    RIVER   AND   TEIBUTAEIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        15 

of  a  mile  in  length  and  have  a  fall  of  less  than  2  feet,  or  an  average 
fall  of  5  feet  per  mile. 

Xo  previous  improvement  has  been  made  at  these  rapids.     That 
now  proposed  consists  of  the  removal  by  blasting  .of  two  submerged 
rocks  and  a  portion  of  the  bed-rock  ledge  at  the  head  of  the  rapids,  as 
shown  on  sheet  No.  13a,  estimated  approximately  as  follows: 
800  cubic  yards  rock  removal,- at  $15  per  cubic  yard____ $12,000 

John  Day  Rapids  (107  miles.} — These  rapids  are  about  3  miles  in 
length  and  are  divided  into  three  distinct  falls,  known  as  upper, 
middle,  and  lower  rapids.  Their  total  fall  is  6  feet,  or  an  average 
fall  of  2  feet  per  mile.  The  steamboat  channel  through  these  rapids 
is  between  rocky  ledges  on  the  north  and  gravel  bars  on  the  south 
side,  and  is  navigated  with  but  little  difficulty  owing  to  the  com- 
paratively slight  fall. 

The  improvement  heretofore  made  at  these  rapids  consisted  of  the 
removal  in  1873  of  some  1,000  cubic  yards  of  rock  from  the  upper  and 
middle  rapids.  The  additional  improvement  now  proposed  consists 
of  the  removal  by  blasting  of  a  rocky  ledge  to  the  south  of  the  channel 
at  upper  rapids  and  a  submerged  ledge  in  mid-channel  at  middle 
rapids,  as  shown  on  sheet  No.  13a,  estimated  approximately  as 
follows : 
800  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $12,  000 

Biggs  Rapids  (117  miles.} — These  rapids  are  formed  by  a  bed- 
rock reef  extending  over  halfway  across  the  river  from  the  Oregon 
shore  and  a  gravel  bar  on  the  Washington  shore.  The  steamboat 
channel  is  of  good  navigable  width  except  at  the  head  of  the  rapids, 
wrhere  it  is  narrowed  by  rock  ledges  and  obstructed  by  a  small  reef  in 
mid-channel.  The  rapids  are  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  length  and 
have  a  total  fall  of  4.4  feet,  or  an  average  fall  of  5.5  feet  per  mile. 

No  previous  improvement  has  been  undertaken  at  this  point,  and 
that  proposed  consists  of  the  removal  by  blasting  of  obstructions  at 
the  head  of  the  rapids,  as  shown  on  sheet  No.  14a,  estimated  approxi- 
mately as  follows :   •„ 
100  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard • $1,  500 

Hells  Gate  Rapids  (119  miles}. — Here  the  river  makes  an  abrupt 
bend  around  a  rock  bluff  on  the  Washington  side.  The  river  is  deep 
and  not  seriously  obstructed.  The  rapids  are  less  than  one-half  mile 
in  length  and  have  a  total  fall  of  1.2  feet,  or  an  average  fall  of  3  feet 
per  mile. 

No  previous  improvement  has  been  undertaken  at  this  point;  that 
now  proposed  consists  of  the  removal  by  blasting  of  two  small  reefs 
at  the  foot  of  the  rapids,  as  shown  on  sheet  No.  15,  estimated  approxi- 
mately as  follows: 
100  cubic  yards  rock  removal,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard $1,  500 

Summarized  estimate  of  the  cost  of  improvement. 

Homly  Rapids : 

Removal   of  bowlders   and   rock,    2,000   cubic   yards,   at   $15   per 

cubic  yard $30,000 

Removal  of  gravel  by  raking  or  dredging 5,000 

Two  Sisters  shoal :   Removal  of  gravel  by  raking  or  dredging 1,  000 

Umatilla  Rapids:  Removal  of  rock  ledges  and  bowlders,  8,000  cubic 

yards,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard 120,000 


16       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

Devils  Bend  Rapids:  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  4,000  cubic  yards. 
at  $15  per  cubic  yard $60,000 

Canoe  Encampment  Rapids :  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  3,000  cubic 

yards,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard 45,000 

Owyhee  Rapids :  Removal  of  "  John  Stump  rock,"  800  cubic  yards,  at 

$15  per  cubic  yard 12,000 

Rock  Creek  Rapids :  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  140  cubic  yards,  at 

$15  per  cubic  yard 2,100 

Squally  Hook :  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  1,600  cubic  yards,  at 

$15  per  cubic  yard 24,000 

Indian  Rapids :  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  800  cubic  yards,  at  $15 

per  cubic  yard 12,000 

John  Day  Rapids :  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  800  cubic  yards,  at 

$15  per  cubic  yard —  12,000 

Biggs  Rapids :  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  100  cubic  yards,  at  $15 

per  cubic  yard 1,500 

Hells  Gate  Rapids:  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  100  cubic  yards,  at 

$15  per  cubic  yard l.-~00 

At  other  points :  Removal  of  rock  obstructions,  isolated  bowlders,  etc., 

at  points  not  named  above,  3,000  cubic  yards,  at  $15  per  cubic  yard-     45,  000 

371, 100 
Engineering,  superintendence,  and  contingencies 28,900 


Total 400,  000 

The  maintenance  of  the  improvement,  which  will  involve  a  patrol 
of  the  river  each  year  to  take  out  bowlders  which  may  lodge  in  the 
channel  during  freshets  or  be  carried  there  by  ice.  or  to  scrape  gravel 
bars,  will  be  the  cost  of  operating  the  plant  hereinafter  described, 
estimated  at  $30,000  per  annum. 

The  manner  in  which  the  improvements  should  be  made,  whether  by 
contract  or  by  day  labor,  has  received  careful  consideration.  If  done 
by  contract  at  a  stipulated  sum  per  cubic  yard,  it  would  be  necessary 
to  make  careful  surveys  before  and  after  blasting,  in  order  to  obtain 
an  estimate  of  cubical  contents  as  basis  for  a  payment.  Such  sur- 
veys would  have  to  be  made  by  the  United  States  inspectors,  with 
the  aid  of  the  contractor's  plant  and  working  force,  would  be  uncer- 
tain as  to  time  consumed,  would  necessarily  be  costly,  and  never  alto- 
gether satisfactory  or  reliable  in  results,  owing  to  the  difficulties 
attending  the  operation  of  taking  and  locating  the  soundings. 

The  amount  of  time  consumed  in  making  these  surve}7s  and  the 
cost  of  making  them  would  be  excessive  in  comparison  with  the  time 
required  and  cost  incurred  in  drilling  and  blasting,  where  the  rock 
or  ledge  is  not  a  large  one.  Under  such  circumstances  differences 
would  most  certainly  arise  between  the  Government  and  the  con- 
tractor regarding  the  time  consumed  and  cost  incurred  by  him  in 
making  surveys,  and  protests  regarding  contents  of  bowlders  and 
ledges  removed  would  surely  follow  where  the  surveys  did  not  show 
the  contents  which  the  contractor  expected  them  to  show.  How  this 
work  could  be  done  by  contract  without  expending  an  excessive 
amount  of  time  and  money  in  local  surveys  and  without  danger  of 
becoming  involved  in  altercations  or  litigations  with  a  disappointed 
contractor  does  not  seem  clear.  At  Umatilla  Rapids,  where  the 
ledge  excavation  is  considerable,  it  may  be  feasible  to  do  a  portion 
of  the  work  by  contract  without  incurring  a  relatively  too  great  cost 
in  surveying ;  and  if  so,  it  would  be  an  advantageous  method  of  mak- 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        17 

ing  the  improvement.  Except  this,  and  possibly  one  other  rapid, 
the  general  situation  is  as  above. 

Taking  the  improvements  at  all  points  as  a  whole,  the  difficulties 
and  cost  of  making  surveys  under  contract  work  and  the  impossi- 
bility of  getting  accurate  measurements  in  a  swift  and  surging  cur- 
rent, render  it  inadvisable,  in  my  opinion,  to  attempt  the  improve- 
ment by  contract.  The  method  that  seems  most  feasible  and  which 
will  dispense  with  any  elaborate  survey  is  that  of  providing  the 
necessary  Government  plant  and  doing  the  work  by  hire  of  labor  and 
purchase  of  material.  A  plant  suitable  for  the  work  would  include 
a  steamboat  equipped  with  appliances  for  raking  or  dredging  gravel 
bars,  grappling  small  benvlders,  and  several  drill  scows  with  the 
necessary  drilling  appliances.  Such  a  plant  in  charge  of  a  competent 
man  would  accomplish  the  work  in  view  at  a  minimum  of  expense  to 
the  United  States  as  there  would  be  no  time  lost  or  money  spent  in 
unnecessary  surveys  and  the  whole  time  of  a  relative  short  working 
reason  could  be  utilized  in  effective  rock  blasting.  The  estimated 
cost  of  such  a  plant  at  present  prices  is  $60,000,  and  the  cost  of 
operating  $30,000  annually,  which  amounts  are  included  in  the  total 
estimated  cost  of  the  improvement. 

In  my  opinion,  the  Columbia  River  between  Celilo  and  the  mouth 
of  the  Snake  River  is  worthy  of  improvement  to  the  extent  as  above 
outlined  and  at  the  cost  for  original  work  and  for  maintenance 
herein  indicated.  If  this  project  is  approved,  it  is  recommended  that 
the  first  appropriation  be  for  $120,000,  said  sum  being  deemed  neces- 
sary for  the  purchase  of  the  necessary  plant  and  for  two  years'  opera- 
tion thereof,  in  case  the  work  can  not  be  done  advantageously  by 
contract. 

Probable  effect  of  proposed  improvement  in  reducing  present  rail- 
road rates. — In  reply  to  a  request  for  information  on  the  rate  prob- 
lem, communications  have  been  received  from  the  chambers  of  com- 
merce of  Spokane,  Wash.,  and  the  commercial  clubs  of  Lewiston, 
Idaho,  Walla  Walla,  and  Kennewick,  Wash.,  and  from  other  sources. 
Typewritten  copies  of  the  most  important  of  these  papers  and  a 
printed  document  on  an  open  river,  issued  in  June,  1906,  by  the  Port- 
land Chamber  of  Commerce,  are  herewith  bound  together  as  a  sepa- 
rate document.  These  papers  contain  the  best  available  exposition 
of  the  benefit  which  an  open  river  will  confer  on  the  great  territory 
tributary  to  the  upper  Columbia  River  and  are  the  basis  of  the  follow- 
ing brief  references  to  the  rate  question.  These  references  and  the 
above-mentioned  papers  necesssarily  apply  to  the  improvements  in 
progress  and  projected  on  the  Snake  River  and  the  Columbia  above 
the  mouth  of  the  Snake,  as  well  as  to  the  section  of  the  Columbia 
under  consideration. 

The  railroad  on  the  north  bank  had  been  extended  from  Portland, 
a  distance  of  88  miles,  to  The  Dalles  before  1883.  In  1883  and  for  a 
number  of  years  prior  thereto  a  line  of  steamboats  was  operated  be- 
tween Portland  and  The  Dalles  in  connection  with  a  portage  road  on 
the  north  bank  around  the  Cascades.  The  steamboat  line  and  its 
portage  road  on  one  bank  and  the  railroad  on  the  other  were  con- 
trolled by  the  same  management  and  there  was  no  competition.  The 
H.  Doc.  440,  59-2 2 


18       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

rates  on  freight  from  Portland  to  The  Dalles  on  the  heaviest  goods 
were  as  follows : 


-qar 


Salt 85.20  $7.40 

Sugar 6.20                 7.40 

Canned  goods 6. 20                7. 40 

Nail* i  ti.  20                  7. 40 

The  rate  per  ton  on  grain  from  The  Dalles  to  Portland  was  $2.70 
per  ton,  or  134  cents  per  hundredweight.  These  rates  were  main- 
tained until  the  locks  at  the  Cascades  were  thrown  open  to  traffic  in 
1896  and  then  lowered  from  246  to  300  per  cent  on  the  aforementioned 
upstream  traffic  of  heavy  goods  and  44  per  cent  on  downstream  ship- 
ments of  grain,  as  shown  by  the  following  statement : 


Carload 
lots. 

Less  than 
carload 
lots. 

Salt 

-l  :.ii 

$3  00 

Sugar  

2.00 

3.00 

Canned  goods 

-   (HI 

3  00 

Nails 

'          2  00 

3  00 

!         i  50 

As  illustrating  how  rapidly  the  railroad  rates  jump  up  at  points 
beyond  open-river  competition,  the  following  figures  are  instructive : 

For  haulage  over  a  distance  of  88  miles,  from  Portland  to  The 
Dalles,  the  rate  on  salt,  as  shown  above,  is  $1.50  per  ton  on  carload 
lots  and  $3  on  less  than  carload  lots.  The  corresponding  figures  for 
haulage  a  distance  of  100  miles  farther,  to  Umatilla,  where  no  open- 
river  competition  exists,  are,  respectively,  $7.50  and  $12  per  ton,  an 
increase  of  over  400  per  cent.  On  sugar  the  rate  on  carload  lots  to 
The  Dalles  is  $2  per  ton ;  to  Umatilla,  $10.20  per  ton.  The  corre- 
sponding rates  on  canned  goods  to  The  Dalles  and  Umatilla  are  the 
same  as  on  sugar.  The  rate  on  grain  shipped  from  Umatilla  to 
Portland  is  $3  per  ton,  as  against  a  rate  of  $1.50  from  The  Dalles. 

It  is  not  expected  that  the  reduction  of  railroad  rates  to  points 
above  Celilo  will  be  as  greatly  affected  by  the  opening  of  the  The 
Dalles-Celilo  Canal  in  conjunction  with  the  open-river  wyork  herein 
proposed  as  was  the  case  in  the  opening  of  the  canal  at  the  Cascades, 
since  the  danger  and  risks  of  navigation  above  Celilo  are  greater  than 
those  below  The  Dalles,  and  since  the  boats  suitable  for  the  upper 
Columbia  must  necessarily  be  more  expensive  to  operate  than  the 
larger  and  more  economical  boats  operating  on  the  middle  and  lower 
Columbia,  but  that  there  will  be  a  general  reduction  of  rates  all  along 
the  line  can  not  be  doubted,  and  it  is  equally  certain  that  the  reduc- 
tion will  be  sufficiently  sweeping  to  save  the  whole  upper  country  a- 
vast  sum  of  money  annually.  How  large  this  saving  will  probably 
be  can  not  be  estimated  from  available  data,  but  an  idea  of  its  magni- 
tude can  be  obtained  from  the  item  of  wheat  alone,  which  is  the  great 
product  of  this  region. 

The  present  annual  growth  of  wheat  in  the  area  which  an  open 
river  will  benefit  is  estimated  at  36,000,000  bushels.  Of  this  amount, 
about  10,000,000  bushels  are  required  for  home  consumption,  and 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        19 

about  90  per  cent  of  the  remainder,  say  22,000,000  bushels,  are  trans- 
ported to  the  coast.  The  present  rail  rates  to  Portland  vary  from 
10^  cents  per  hundredweight  just  above  Celilo  to  19£  cents  per  hun- 
dredweight at  Lewiston.  Taking  15  cents  per  hundredweight  as  the 
average,  and  assuming  a  reduction  of  25  per  cent  in  rates  when  open- 
river  competition  is  established,  the  saving  would  be  3iVv  cents  per 
hundredweight,  or  $481,800  on  22,000,000  bushels  of  wheat.  If  to 
this  be  added  the  saving  on  such  other  products  as  oats,  barley,  hay, 
etc.,  and  on  heavy  upstream  freight,  such  as  grocery  supplies,  and  it 
be  considered  that  much  of  the  country  remains  undeveloped  because 
of  lack  of  transportation  facilities,  it.  is  safe  to  say  that  the  annual 
saving  as  a  result  of  open-river  traffic  to  Lewiston  and  the  upper 
Columbia  will  within  a  very  few  years  amount  to  several  times  the 
sum  above  mentioned. 

The  State  portage  road  at  Celilo  has  been  in  operation  about  one 
year  and  has  done  such  business  as  was  brought  to  it  by  the  operation 
of  three  small  boats  above  Celilo  and  one  boat  below  The  Dalles. 
*The  rates  charged  from  points  above  Celilo  to  Portland  vary  from 
H  cents  to  2  cents  per  hundredweight  lower  than  the  railroad  rates 
on  wheat,  but  the  transportation  facilities  both  above  and  below  the 
portage  road  have  so  far  been  inadequate  to  set  up  effective  competi- 
tion with  the  railroad.  Better  results  are  expected  in  the  future. 
In  this  connection  it  is  to  be  noted  that  the  regular  line  of  boats 
between  Portland  and  The  Dalles  was  purchased  last  year  by  the 
Northern  Pacific  Eailroad  Company  in  connection  with  the  railroad 
now  under  construction  along  the  north  bank  of  the  Columbia,  and 
that  these  boats  are  operated  with  special  regard  to  the  contractors' 
camps  and  are  not  concerned  with  the  development  of  a  competitive 
factor  in  open-river  navigation. 

For  further  information  upon  this  subject  attention  is  invited  to  the 
file  of  papers  herewith. 

In  conclusion,  attention  is  respectfully  invited  to  the  fact  that 
Lewiston,  Idaho,  is  the  largest  commercial  center  on  the  open-river 
system  above  Celilo;  that  recent  improvements  have  made  a  good 
low-water  channel  in  the  Snake  from  Lewiston  to  the  railroad  cross- 
ing at  Eiparia,  and  that  the  Snake  below  Eiparia,  which  is  obstructed 
by  rapids,  bowlders,  and  ledges,  will  require  considerable  improve- 
ment in  order  to  get  the  full  benefit  of  the  improvement  already 
made  above  Eiparia  and  that  now  proposed  for  the  Columbia  below 
the  mouth  of  the  Snake.  A  project  for  this  lower  section  of  the 
Snake  Eiver  is  printed  on  pages  3013-3017  of  the  Chief  of  Engineers' 
Annual  Eeport  for  1898,  and  while  the  probable  cost  therein  given 
may  be  too  low  under  present  prices  of  labor  and  material,  it  could 
be  accepted  as  a  basis  for  an  appropriation  to  begin  the  work  should 
Congress  decide  to  begin  it  simultaneously  with  the  open-river  work 
on  the  Columbia.  Those  interested  in  the  open  river  are  as  much 
concerned  regarding  this  necessary  work  on  the  Snake  Eiver  as  upon 
the  open-channel  improvement  of  the  Columbia. 

Eespectfully  submitted. 

S.  W.  EOESSLER, 

Lieut.  Col.,  Corps  of  Engineers. 
Brig.  Gen.  A.  MACKENZIE, 

Chief  of  Engineers,  U.  S.  A. 
(Through  the  Division  Engineer.) 


20       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CKLILO    FALLS. 
[First  indorsement.] 

U.  S.  ENGINEER  OFFICE,  PACIFIC  DIVISION, 

San  Francisco,  Cal.,  December  1,  1906. 

Respectfully  forwarded  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  United  States 
Army. 

The  millions  of  dollars  spent  on  the  Cascade  locks  and  to  be 
expended  on  the  construction  of  the  locks  and  waterway  between 
The  Dalles  and  Celilo  can  be  of  very  little  importance  and  benefit 
to  the  communities  interested  in  Oregon,  Washington,  and  Idaho, 
unless  and  until  the  Columbia  River  above  Celilo  and  the  Snake 
River  are  improved  and  made  available  and  safe  for  steamboat 
navigation.  The  cost  of  improving  these  rivers  will  be  relatively 
very  small  (in  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars)  as  compared 
with  the  work  done,  approved,  and  contemplated  at  the  Cascades  and 
at  The  Dalles-Celilo  Canal.  The  very  great  bulk  of  freight  that 
is  to  pass  through  these  locks  and  canal  must  be  carried  on  the 
rivers  and  originate  in  the  country  adjacent  thereto  above  the  locks. 

Considering  the  relative  cost  of  the  improvement  of  the  rivers 
and  that  of  the  construction  of  the  locks  and  canals  above  referred 
to,  which  are  either  completed  or  in  progress,  there  is  no  question 
but  that  the  upper  Columbia  and  Snake  rivers  are  worthy  of 
improvement. 

With  the  upper  Columbia  River  (above  Celilo),  the  rapids  of 
which  were  surveyed  by  me  nearly  forty  years  ago,  I  am  thoroughly 
familiar,  and  feel  convinced  that  the  economical  and  practical  way 
to  improve  this  river  is  to  do  the  work  by  hired  labor  and  to  the 
extent  recommended  by  Lieut.  Col.  S.  W.  Roessler. 

If  this  work  be  undertaken  by  the  Government  the  work  of  river 
improvement  should  be  completed  when  the  locks  and  canal  at 
The  Dalles-Celilo  are  readv  for  operation. 

W.  H.  HEUER, 
Colonel,  Corps  of  Engineers, 

Division  Engineer. 

[Third  Indorsement.] 

BOARD  OF  ENGINEERS  FOR  RIVERS  AND  HARBORS, 

Washington,  D.  C.,  December  27,  1906. 

Respectfully  returned  to  the  Chief  of  Engineers,  United  States 
Army. 

The  Board  of  Engineers  for  Rivers  and  Harbors  has  considered 
the  within  report  of  the  district  officer  on  a  survey  of  Columbia 
River  between  Celilo  Falls  and  the  mouth  of  the  Snake  River,  wdth 
the  views  of  the  division  engineer  thereon,  and  the  accompanying 
report  of  the  district  officer  on  a  survey  of  the  same  river  between 
Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport,  Wash.,  with  the  indorsement  of  the 
division  engineer  thereon;  being  two  reaches  included  in  the  pro- 
posed improvement  of  "  Columbia  River  and  tributaries  above  Celilo 
Falls  including  that  portion  between  Wenatchee  and  Kettle  Falls. 
with  a  view  to  open  channel  work,"  upon  which  reports  of  pre- 
liminary examinations  have  already  been  rendered  and  reviewed. 
In  addition  to  the  above,  the  Board  has  reviewed  the  history  of 
improvements  heretofore  undertaken  by  the  United  States  on  the 
Columbia  River  as  published  in  the  Annual  Reports  of  the  Chief 
of  Engineers,  United  States  Army.  Senator  Ankeny  appeared  be- 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        21 

fore  the  Board  on  December  21.  1906.  in  advocacy  of  the  improve- 
ment of  this  stream. 

Navigation  is  now  practicable  on  the  Columbia  River  as  far  as  The 
Dalles,  or  Fivemile.  Rapids,  where  work  is  in  progress  to  overcome 
the  obstructions  between  the  Threemile  Rapids  and  the  head  of 
Celilo  Falls.  The  project  provides  for  a  canal  on  the  Oregon  shore, 
which,  with  certain  river  improvement,  is  estimated  to  cost  $4,125,000. 
Above  The  Dalles  work  has  been  undertaken  by  the  United  States 
under  various  projects  looking  to  the  improvement  of  particular 
reaches,  but  no  general  or  continuous  project  for  the  improvement 
of  the  river  above  this  point  has  been  adopted. 

While  the  act  ordering  the  preliminary  examination  includes  the 
portion  of  the  river  between  Wenatchee  .and  Kettle  Falls,  the  investi- 
gations of  the  district  officer  fail  to  indicate  any  present  demands 
of  commerce  or  navigation  commensurate  with  the  cost  of  an  im- 
provement above  Bridgeport,  and  no  survey  thereof  was  made.  For 
the  same  reason  it  was  not  considered  advisable  to  survey  that  por- 
tion of  the  river  between  Wenatchee  and  the  mouth  of  the  Snake. 

In  the  accompanying  report  of  the  district  officer  on  a  survey  of 
the  stretch  between  Wenatchee  and  Bridgeport,  Wash.,  a  plan  of  im- 
provement is  presented  which  contemplates  the  removal  of  rocks  and 
bowlders  and  the  construction  of  dikes,  etc.,  at  an  estimated  cost  of 
$42.000.  The  improvement  proposed,  in  the  opinion  of  the  district 
officer,  will  be  permanent  in  its  nature  and  will  require  no  expendi- 
ture for  maintenance,  except  possibly  some  repair  to  the  dikes  after 
the  first  year.  Several  steamboats  are  in  operation  between  We- 
natchee and  Bridgeport,  During  the  calendar  year  1904  over  24,000 
tons  of  commerce  were  carried  on  this  section  of  the  river  and  a 
commerce  of  nearly  40,000  tons  is  reported  for  the  year  1905.  Dur- 
ing the  same  year  nearly  30,000  passengers  were  carried.  The  Board 
concurs  in  the  opinion  of  the  district  officer  and  the  division  engineer 
that  the  present  and  prospective  commerce  of  this  section  of  the 
Columbia  River  is  sufficient  to  justify  the  United  States  in  under- 
taking its  improvement,  and  it  recommends  the  adoption  of  the 
project  proposed  by  the  district  officer,  at  an  estimated  cost  of 
$42.000 

For  the  improvement  of  the  lower  .section  under  consideration — 
that  is,  from  Celilo  to  the  mouth  of  the  Snake  River — the  district 
officer  presents  a  plan  having  in  view  the  elimination  of  dangerous 
rapids  and  the  raking  of  a  few  gravel  shoals  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
viding a  safe  navigation  of  such  depth  as  the  river  normally  carries, 
which  is  about  3  feet  at  low  water  at  the  shoalest  point.  The  total 
estimated  cost  of  the  work  is  $400,000,  extended  over  a  series  of  years, 
and  $30,000  annually  thereafter  for  maintenance. 

The  commerce  pertaining  to  this  stretch  of  river  between  Celilo 
and  the  mouth  of  the  Snake  River  is  at  present  small,  and  this  is 
largelv  due  to  the  fact  that  there  are  now  no  facilities  for  its  trans- 
portation. The  country  is  one  possessed  of  great  natural  resources 
and  is  rapidly  being  settled  up.  The  improvement  of  this  stretch  is 
a  natural  corollary  to  that  now  in  progress  below,  where  the  projects 
involve  expensive"  works,  whose  value  and  utility  to  the  public  de- 
pend largely  upon  the  development  of  commerce  above. 

In  the  within  report  the  district  officer  discusses  the  effect  on  freight 
rates  of  the  improvement  heretofore  undertaken  by  the  United 


22       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

States  on  the  lower  portion  of  the  river,  from  which  it  is  apparent 
that  the  influence  of  the  water  route  already  available  has  been  con- 
siderable, and  while  it  is  not  presumed  that  such  pronounced  reduc- 
tions in  rail  rates  in  the  upper  river  will  result  from  the  improvement 
now  proposed  it  is  thought  that  navigation  facilities  which  will  be 
provided  by  the  work  suggested  within  will  have  an  important  bear- 
ing upon  the  making  of  rates  in  this  localitj"  and  a  powerful  influ- 
ence in  the  further  settlement  and  development  of  the  country. 

Having  in  mind  the  large  expenditures  involved  in  the  works 
undertaken  below  Celilo  Falls  and  their  dependence  for  success  upon 
navigation  above,  the  Board  concurs  in  the  opinion  of  the  district 
officer  and  the  division  engineer  that  it  is  advisable  for  the  United 
States  to  improve  the  river  from  Celilo  Falls  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Snake,  and  recommends  the  adoption  of  the  project  proposed  bv 
the  district  officer,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $400,000,  and  $30,000  per 
annum  for  maintenance. 

The  language  of  the  act  calling  for  the  preliminary  examination 
requires  consideration  of  the  improvement  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
Columbia  River  above  Celilo  Falls,  as  well  as  the  improvement  of 
the  main  stream.  The  important  tributaries  are  the  Snake.  Okano- 
gan,  and  Pend  Oreille.  The  Snake  River  is  now  under  improvement 
under  a  project  adopted  in  1902,  which  provides  for  obtaining  a  chan- 
nel 5  feet  deep  at  low  water  between  Riparia  and  Lewiston  by  means 
of  dredging,  raking,  and  contraction  works,  and  for  the  general  im- 
provement of  the  Snake  River  from  Lewiston  to  Pittsburg  Landing, 
which  is  216  miles  above  the  mouth.  Work  was  formerly  done  by 
the  United  States  between  Riparia  and  the  mouth,  but  in  1882.  owing 
to  the  construction  of  railway  lines  along  and  adjacent  to  the  Snake 
and  Columbia  rivers,  as  well  as  the  difficulties  of  navigating  the 
Snake  River  and  shoals  of  the  Columbia  River,  improvement  on 
the  lower  stretch  of  the  Snake  River  was  abandoned.  There  is 
considerable  commerce  now  on  the  upper  Snake,  and  if  the  improve- 
ment of  the  Columbia  between  Celilo  Fall's  and  the  mouth  of  the 
Snake  is  undertaken,  then,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Board,  the  project 
for  the  lower  Snake,  estimated,  when  made  in  1897,  to  cost  $165,000, 
should  be  revived,  so  as  to  provide  continuous  navigation  from  the 
lower  Columbia  to  the  upper  Snake. 

The  Okanogan  River  is  at  present  under  improvement  by  the 
United  States  under  a  project  adopted  by  the  act  of  March  3,  1899, 
which  contemplates  rock  removal,  the  construction  of  wing  dams, 
and  snagging,  the  cost  of  which  was  estimated  at  $30,000.  The  Pend 
Oreille  River  is  also  under  improvement  by  the  United  States  under 
a  project  adopted  by  the  act  of  March  3,  1899,  which  contemplates 
the  removal  of  submerged  rocks  and  the  blowing  off  of  the  projecting 
rock  points,  at  an  estimated  cost  of  $30,000.  The  improvements 
on  both  these  rivers  have  been  of  considerable  benefit  to  commerce, 
but  the  Board  is  of  the  opinion  that  it  is  not  advisable  at  this  time 
to  give  consideration  to  any  additional  improvements  of  these  streams 
in  connection  with  the  proposed  improvements  on  the  Columbia 
River. 

For  the  Board : 

R.  L.  HOXIE. 
'Lieut.  Col.,  Corps  of  Engineers. 

Senior  Member  Present. 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    OELILO    FALLS.        2& 

LETTER  OF  THE  SPOKANE  (WASH.)   CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE. 

SPOKANE  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE. 

Spokane,  Wash.,  October  j,  1U<iti. 

I  >KAU  Siu :  lu  determining  what  effect  the  opening  of  the  Columbia  and 
Snake  rivers  would  have  on  the  commercial  interests  of  Spokane  and  sur- 
rounding country,  you  must  first  consider  existing  transportation  conditions. 

The  freight  rate  on  all  shipments  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  inte- 
rior Columbia  River  basin  is  based  on  the  coast  rate  plus  the  local  rate  from 
the  coast  to  designation.  Of  course  railway  traffic  officials  claim  that  water 
competition  fixes  a  less  rate  on  the  coast  than  would  otherwise  exist;  hence 
they  are  entitled  to  make  up  what  is  lost  on  the  coast  rate  by  raising  the 
rate  to  the  interior,  which  is  helpless  to  prevent  this  or  any  other  ruling  the 
railroads  arbitrarily  impose. 

This  deplorable  condition  as  regards  rates  has  been  the  only  factor  which 
has  tended  to  retard  the  development  of  the  interior  country,  rich  in  every 
natural  resource  which  makes  for  material  wealth.  High  rates  of  transporta- 
tion are  a  tax  upon  the  people,  and  while  the  merchant  has  prospered  the 
consumer  has  suffered.  It  is  estimated  that  existing  railway  rates  have  in- 
creased the  cost  of  living  25  per  cent  in  this  territory  despite  the  fact  that 
a  large  surplus  iu  grain,  fruit,  vegetables,  and  meat  is  produced  annually, 
therefore  the  very  advantages  which  natural  conditions  give  to  this  country, 
and  which  should  accrue  to  the  benefit  of  the  people,  are  seized  upon  by  the 
railroads  and  made  a  source  of  profit,  which  is  both  unjust  and  unreasonable. 
Equal  rights  under  the  Constitution  do  not  exist  for  the  people  of  the  interior 
Columbia  River  basin  in  the  matter  of  railroad  rates. 

If  theoretical  water  competition  will  give  to  the  coast  her  present  low  rates, 
comparatively  speaking,  actual  water  competition  will  certainly  relieve  the 
situation  for 'the  upper  Columbia  River  region. 

The  transcontinental  rate  to  Spokane  is  from  25  per  cent  to  135  per  cent 
higher  than  to  the  coast  according  to  the  will  of  the  combine  which  fixes  the 
rate  for  the  several  commodities. 

The  city  of  Spokane  alone  is  paying  out  over  $4,000.000  for  freight  annually. 
Of  this  amount  about  70  per  cent  is  for  shipments  originating  east  of  the  Mis- 
souri River.  Hence  a  reduction  in  freight  rates  of  even  25  per  cent  would 
mean  a  saving  to  the  people  of  nearly  $1,000,000  per  annum. 

The  wholesale  grocery  business  of  Spokane  amounts  to  about  $3,000,000  per 
annum.  Sixty-five  per  cent  of  the  goods  sold  come  from  California.  Carload 
rates  from  the  coast  to  Spokane  range  from  65  cents  to  90  cents  per  100 
pounds.  An  open  river  would  reduce  these  rates  at  least  33£  per  cent,  and 
would  therefore  reduce  the  cost  of  living  by  that  much. 

Over  3(5,000,000  bushels  of  wheat  are  grown  annually  in  the  territory  drained 
by  upper  Columbia  River  (above  The  Dalles).  Of  this  enormous  output  not 
to  exceed  10,000.000  bushels  are  used  for  home  consumption.  The  balance  is 
exported,  of  which  fully  90  per  cent  goes  to  the  coast.  Every  cent  of  reduction 
in  cost  of  transportation  to  the  coast  would  be  added  to  the  profit  of  the  pro- 
ducer, which  in  turn  would  contribute  to  the  general  prosperity  of  the  country. 

While  an  open  river  would  not  be  of  material  benefit  to  the  jobbing  interests 
of  this  city  and  might  in  a  measure  be  adverse  by  giving  to  Lewiston,  Walla 
Walla,  and  other  points  nearer  the  Columbia  and  Snake  rivers  advantages  of 
lower  rates  than  we  could  hope  to  get,  it  would  be  of  incalculable  benefit  to  the 
people  as  a  whole,  and  that  is  what  we  should  strive  for;  it  is  the  basic  prin- 
ciple of  our  National  Government — a  benefit  to  the  masses  rather  than  to  the 
individual.  . 

Very  truly,  yours, 

L.  G.  MONROE, 

Lieut.  Col.  S.  W.  ROESSLEK,  Secret  a  ni. 

ror/;.v  of  Knvinccr*.  I  .  N.  .1..  Portland.  Greg. 


J.iriTEBS    OF   THE    LEWISTON     ( IDAHO)     COMMERCIAL    CLl'l!. 

THE  LEWISTON  COMMERCIAL  CLUB, 

Lewiston,  Idaho,  October  .5,  1908, 

DEAR  SIR  :  In  re  statistical  information  pertaining  to  the  opening  of  the  Snake 
and  Columbia  rivers,  we  beg  leave  to  report  the  following : 

We  are  unable  to  report  fully  covering  the  territory  which  you  gave  us.  We 
possess  no  definite  information  pertaining  to  any  of  the  territory  in  the  State 
of  Washington,  and,  in  fact,  none  for  the  county  of  Latah  in  the  State  of  Idaho. 


24       COLUMBIA    RIVEK    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

However,  we  have  endeavored  to  secure  this  information  from  several  different 
sources. 

We  believe  the  desired  results  to  be  obtained  can  only  be  enjoyed  by  a  navi- 
gable unobstructed  river  from  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  to  the  head  of  navi- 
gation on  the  Snake  River,  which  is  under  ordinary  water  stage  at  Lewiston, 
Idaho, -but  under  high-water  stage  at  the  mouth  of  Imnaha.  a  tributary  in  Oregon. 

The  benefits  to  bo  derived  from  such  an  open  river  will  not  be  limited  to 
riparian  owners  or  to  the  country  adjacent  thereto.  Neither  will  the  transpor- 
tation of  products  on  the  open  river  be  limited  to  the  territory  adjacent  to  the 
river.  But  we  do  not  claim  that  all  the  territory  which  you  gave  us  to  report 
on  would  at  any  time,  even  with  an  unobstructed  river  to  its  mouth,  furnish 
its  products  for  transportation  on  the  river. 

We  believe  the  open  river  will  give  to  the  tributary  country  on  either  side  of  it 
electric  lines,  which,  in  conjunction  with  the  services  to  be  had  by  the  open  river, 
will  effect  the  desired  competition  with  the  great  railway  lines.  These  electric 
lines  must  necessarily  be  the  feeders  to  the  river  traffic.  Such  lines  are  not 
only  feasible  but  many  of  them  are  prospective,  and  one.  if  not  two.  assured 
facts. 

There  can  and  probably  will  be  an  electric  line  up  the  Grande  Ronde  River, 
which  will  not  only  tap  a  rich  district  in  mineral,  timber,  agricultural,  and  stock 
raising,  but  which  will  be  able  to  handle  the  coal  which  gives  evidence  of  being 
found  in  large  quantities  in  that  territory. 

There  can  and  probably  will  be  an  electric  line  up  the  Imnaha  River  district 
to  tap  the  Wallowa  country  in  Oregon,  which  is  famous  for  its  grasses  and 
stock  raising,  and  which  is  also  rich  in  minerals  and  timber. 

The  Spokane  and  Inland  Railway,  from  Spokane.  Wash.,  to  Lewiston,  Idaho, 
is  an  assured  fact.  What  this  road  will  give  to  the  open  river  in  the  way  of 
transportation  and  freight  is  almost  immeasurable.  We  have  not  even  any 
figures  to  submit  to  you  at  this  time  covering  the  territory  through  which  this 
line  runs,  but  should  we  be  able  to  secure  it  later  we  will  be  glad  to  report  it. 

The  Lewiston  Southeastern  electric  line,  from  Grangeville  to  Lewiston,  in 
now  being  promoted,  and  no  doubt  will  be  an  assured  fact  within  a  very  short 
time.  It  is  along  this  line  that  we  herewith  submit  statistics  showing  the 
products  which  this  line  will  necessarily  give  to  the  Snake  and  Columbia  rivers. 
The  country  which  this  line  taps,  while  it  is  indeed  rich  in  agricultural 
products,  is  but  a  small  area  compared  with  the  territory  tributary  to  the 
Snake  River  above  Lewiston.  Idaho,  which  can  and  probably  will  be  tapped  by 
electric  lines. 

We  submit  herewith  a  map  °  showing  the  amount  of  hay.  wheat,  oats,  barley. 
flax,  cattle,  and  hogs  along  the  line  of  the  electric  railroad.  This  data  is  based 
upon  affidavits  made  by  the  owners  of  the  property  from  which  this  was  taken. 
We  have  been  promised  a  later  and  more  complete  map,  together  with  addi- 
tional information  pertaining  to  this  district,  and  as  soon  as  we  receive  it  we 
will  send  it  to  you. 

There  are  ".02.971  acres  tributary  to  this  electric  railroad :  189.518  acres 
seeded  to  grain  or  hay:  178.453  acres  tillable  but  not  seeded:  42.035  acres  in 
hay.  producing  77.441  tons:  65.310  acres  in  wheat,  producing  2,084.124  bushels, 
or  63,336  tons ;  24,696  acres  in  oats,  producing  993,000  bushels,  or  22,771  tons ; 
44,135  acres  in  barley,  producing  2.144,765  bushels,  or  50,578  tons ;  22.547  acres 
in  flax,  producing  351,288  bushels,  or  10,401  tons;  7,854  head  of  cattle  sold, 
being  4.256  tons  for  transportation  :  52,024  head  of  hogs  sold,  being  6.340  tons 
for  transportation:  making  a  total  tonnage  of  235.125  for  one  year,  with  only 
a  small  per  cent  of  over  one-half  of  this  territory. 

We  have  said  nothing  about  the  timber  and  mineral  in  this  territory  along 
this  electric  line  and  have  not  even  mentioned  the  territory  near  Lewiston, 
through  which  this  line  will  run.  We  have  not  said  anything  about  the 
mineral  along  the  Snake  River  and  the  Salmon  tributary  thereto ;  but  this  coun- 
try is  a  very  promising  mineral  district  and  the  tonnage  for  transportation  of 
this  product  will  be  very  great.  There  is  also  the  largest  and  finest  granite 
quarry  on  the  Snake  River,  about  40  miles  above  Lewiston.  that  can  be  found 
in  the  West. 

In  fact  we  do  not  claim  in  this  report  to  give  even  an  approximate  estimate 
of  the  products  of  the  territory  given  us  which  will  be  available  for  transpor- 
tation on  an  open  river  from  Lewiston  to  the  sea.  But  we  give  this  statistical 
information  along  this  one  electric  line  as  an  argument  of  the  benefits  which 
an  open  and  unobstructed  river  would  be  to  this  country. 

«  Not  printed. 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        25 

The  open  and  unobstructed  river  from  Lewiston  to  its  mouth  would  give  to 
these  electric  railways  the  protection  necessary  to  them  in  competing  with  the 
great  railroad  systems.  In  our  opinion  this  will  solve  the  problem  of  regulat- 
ing the  traffic  rates — the  ultimate  object  which  we  desire  to  obtain.  But  the 
improvement  of  the  Columbia  River  to  its  free  and  unobstructed  navigation  to 
its  mouth  must  be  accomplished  before  we  can  hope  to  secure  all  of  these 
lateral  electric  lines. 

The  piecemeal  improvement  of  the  upper  Snake  River  and  then  a  large 
expenditure  at  the  mouth  of  the  Columbia  is  not  of  the  greatest  importance 
with  the  11  miles  of  obstruction  above  The  Dalles.  We  must  have  the  open 
river  from  the  head  of  navigation  to  tide  water  in  order  to  give  to  the  elec- 
tric lines  the  protection  which  they  will  need  to  compete  with  the  great  rail- 
roads; and  while  this  may  not  be  obtained  at  one  time  it  is  the  end  to  which 
our  efforts  should  be  addressed. 

Respectfully.  JOHN  O.  BENDER. 

M.  A.  MEANS, 
DUNCAN  J.  MCGELVERY, 
Committee,  Commercial  Club. 
Lieut.  Col.  S.  W.  ROESSLER, 

Corps  of  Engineers.  Portland,  Oreg. 


THE  LEWISTON  COMMERCIAL  CLUB. 

Lewiston,  Idaho,  October  22,  1906. 

DEAR  SIR  :  Answering  further  your  letter  of  the  10th  instant,  I  beg  leave  to 
say  that  we  are  unable  to  secure  very  satisfactory  information  on  the  matters 
vinder  inquiry,  but  we  give  you  what  we  have  and  trust  that  this  may  be  of 
some  use  to  you. 

Rates  from  Portland  to  Lewiston  per  hundredweight  on  merchandise. 


Class  rates  (in  cents). 

I. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

5. 

A. 

B.  [  C. 

" 

E. 

135 

120 

95 

80 

65 

65 

55  !   46 

36 

26 

There  are  certain  commodities  that  carry   a   special   rate  which  would  not 
appear  under  this  classification. 

Grain  seed,  straight  carloads  from  Lewixton  to  coast  points. 

Flour,  feed,  etc ...per  cwt.__  $0. 19* 

Hay do .  17 

Potatoes do .  17 

Lumber do .  20 

Salt do .  40 

Coal per  toii-_  4.00 

Horses  and  mules per  car__  80.00 

Cattle,  hogs,  and  sheep do 70.00 

Class  rates  from  Chicago  per  hundredweight. 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 
2.10 

3.60 

3.10 

2.60 

26       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 


.  h'unxa*  City.  Omaha,  tit.  .lo*c]>li.  Diiluth.  <nnf 
St.  Paul 


1. 

2. 

3. 

4. 

3.60 

3.05 

2.55 

2.05 

This  table  has  been  secured,  after  a  great  deal  of  labor,  by  our  Mr.  Means, 
and  we  believe  it  is  as  near  correct  as  can  be  gotten  on  the  ground  which  it 
covers. 

We  beg  to  remain, 

Very  truly,  yours,  JOHN  O.  BENDER. 

('/Kiii'/iKiii  of  Commercial  Club  Committee. 
Lieut  Col.  S.  W.  ROESSLEB. 

Cori>x  of  Kiii/iiiccrx.  I'oithnid.  Grey. 


LKTTKKS  OF  THE  COM . \IKRCIAL  CLUB  OF  WALLA  WAI. LA.  WASH. 

COMMERCIAL  CLUB  OF  WALLA  WALLA. 

Walla  Walla,  Wash.,  September  17,  1906. 

DEAR  SIR  :  The  Commercial  Club  of  Walla  Walla,  in  common  with  the  people 
of  the  whole  Northwest,  is  vitally  interested  in  an  open  Columbia  River  for  the 
following  reasons : 

The  Cascade  Mountains  form  a  barrier  and  block  egress  from  the  watershed 
of  the  Columbia  to  our  market  on  the  tide  water.  The  only  natural  gateway 
through  this  mountain  range  is  the  Columbia  River,  which  is  not  available  now. 

The  transportation  companies  often  lack  equipment  to  handle,  in  proper 
time,  the  products  grown  in  this  valley. 

In  spite  of  former  transportation  handicaps  the  substantial  resources  of  the 
inland  empire  have  brought  it  forward.  With  an  area  of  about  2,500  square 
miles,  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  has  a  freight  traffic  of  more  than  700,000  tons. 

The  city  of  Walla  Walla,  with  a  population  of  20,000.  has  a  business  aggre- 
gating in  'the  various  lines,  $12,000,000  annually. 

With  an  open  river  as  the  natural  highway  of  commerce,  this  valley  would 
have  increased  facilities  for  reaching  market,  competition  in  rates,  and  a  water 
service  to  some  localities  now  without  railway  service. 

Irrigation  schemes  along  our  waterways  are  reclaiming  great  sections  of 
arid  lands,  directly  tributary  to  the  river,  and  in  many  cases  their  only  means 
of  communication. 

At  this  time  there  are  several  thousand  tons  of  grain  piled  on  the  river 
awaiting  boat  transportation. 

Opening  the  Columbia,  we  hope,  will  give  us  terminal  rates  on  eastern  freight. 

The  fact  that  private  companies  have  built  and  are  trying  to  operate  steam- 
boats in  the  upper  river  trade,  with  projected  trolley  lines  as  feeders  for  these 
boats,  indicates  that  the  people  realize  the  great  necessity  of  the  water  route 
as  the  most  important  question  confronting  the  inland  empire. 

The  people  have  spent  over  .$300,000  on  this  project  and  now  need  the  help 
of  the  Government. 

Very  truly,  yours, 

THE  COMMERCIAL  CLUB  OF  WALLA  WALLA. 
By  A.  C.  MOORE,  Secretary. 

Lieut.  Col.  S.  W.  &OESSLER, 

Corpn  of  Ktif/inerrx,  I*or1hnul.  Orc/i. 


COMMERCIAL  CLUB  OF  WALLA  WALLA, 

Walla  Walla,  Wash.,  November  3,  1906. 

DEAR  SIR  :  The  following  additional  information,  not  included  in  my  letter 
dated  September  17.  may  be  of  interest  in  regard  to  the  opening  of  the  Columbia 
River. 

Last  year  Wallawalla  County,  with  an  area  of  1,296  square  miles  and  a  pop- 
ulation of  30.000  people,  stored  in  the  railroad  warehouses  for  transportation  a 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    B^ALLS.        27 

total  of  165,000  tons  of  wheat.     This  grain   (some  of  it  in  the  form  of  flour) 
went  to  market  at  tide  water  and  paid  the  rail  rate  of  $3.15  per  ton. 

If  the » open  river  to  Wallula  shall  have  the  same  effect  as  the  same  situation 
at  The  Dalles  on  the  opening  of  the  Cascade  locks  the  present  rates  will  be 
reduced  from  100  per  cent  to  300  per  cent.  If  the  present  rate  had  been  reduced 
by  one-half  it  would  have  saved  Wallawalla  County  $259,875  in  freight  on  the 
wheat  crop  alone,  and  that  is  only  one-tenth  of  the  wheat  crop  of  the  inland 
empire. 

Again,  the  Walla  Walla  Valley,  with  an  area  of  2,500  square  miles  and  a  pop- 
ulation of  50,000  people,  has  a  freight  traffic  amounting  to  700,000  tons  annually, 
and  in  the  same  time  pays  the  railroads  more  than  $900,000  on  freight  received. 

The  freight  rates  from  tide  water  vary  according  to  classification,  $1.14  being 
lirst  class  per  hundred  pounds  and  $0.20  being  class  E,  the  lowest  regular  rate 
per  hundred  pounds,  carloads. 

In  this  part  of  the  country  the  great  bulk  of  west-bound  freight  from  eastern 
points  is  based  on  the  rates  to  the  Pacific  coast  and  the  local  rate  back  to  desti- 
nation. As  the  freight  is  not  actually  hauled  to  the  coast  the  local  freight  back 
becomes  an  arbitrary  charge. 

The  open  river  will  thus  reduce  the  charges  on  freight  from  the  East  (taking 
coast  rates)  by  the  same  amount  it  will  save  on  straight  shipments  from  the 
yoast. 

On  the  basis  of  present  traffic,  if  the  open  river  reduced  freight  rates  by  one- 
half,  it  is  estimated  that  the  saving  to  the  Walla  Walla  Valley  would  be  more 
than  half  a  million  dollars  annually.  But  no  man  can  figure  on  the  present 
basis  permanently.  The  country  is  growing  and  the  freight  traffic  has  doubled 
in  the  last  six  years.  It  will  double  again  in  the  next  six  years,  and  the  saving 
will  then  be  twice  as  great  in  dollars  and  cents  as  it  is  to-day,  and  yet  we  are 
only  a  small  part  of  the  inland  empire. 

Yours,  truly,  A.  C.  MOORE, 

Secretary. 

Lieut.  Col.  S.  W.  ROESSLER, 

Corps  of  Engineers.  Portland ,  Oreg. 


STATEMENT  OF  THE  KKNNEWICK  (WASH.)  COMMERCIAL  CLUI!. 

KENNEWICK  COMMERCIAL  CLUB. 
Kennewick,  Wash.,  November  10,  190G. 

DEAR  SIR  :  In  response  to  your  request  for  a  report  showing  the  existing  con- 
ditions of  transportation  at  this  place  and  the  influence  which  an  open  river 
would  have  on  the  same,  I  hereby  transmit  to  you  a  brief  summary  of  the 
actual  situation  as  it  now  presents  itself. 

Very  respectfully,  GEO.  F.  RICHARDSON, 

President  Kennewick  Commercial  Club. 
J.  W.  HEWETSON, 

•  Secretary. 
Lieut.  Col.  S.  W.  ROESSLER, 

Corps,  of  Engineers,  Portland,  Oreg. 


Kennewick  is  a  town  of  upward  of  1,500  population,  grown  entirely  within 
four  years.  It  has  a  trading  population  of  about  3,000,  in  an  irrigated  valley  of 
15,000  acres  under  the  Northern  Pacific  Irrigation  Company's  canal.  This  val- 
ley is  rapidly  settling  in  tracts  of  5  to  40  acres  to  the  family.  The  principal 
industry  is  growing  berries,  grapes,  tree  fruits,  alfalfa,  and  gardening.  The 
town  is  in  a  sagebrush  country  and  has  the  irrigation  office,  waterworks,  electric 
lights,  city  telephone  service,  two  grain  warehouses,  cold  storage  and  ice  plant, 
two  banks,  fifteen  stores  (carrying  all  lines  of  trade),  four  hotels,  six  restau- 
rants, five  saloons,  three  livery  barns,  two  bakeries,  two  shoe  shops,  two  black- 
smith shops,  three  barber  shops,  two  billiard  halls,  two  meat  markets,  two  doc- 
tors, two  dentists,  three  lawyers,  seven  real-estate  offices,  six  building  con- 
tractors, one  architect,  two  surveyors,  one  newspaper  and  printing  office,  two 
lumber  yards,  and  one  coal  and  wood  yard. 

Loca tton.— Kennewick  is  located  on  the  Columbia  River  where  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad  crosses  at  a  point  3  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Snake  River 
and  5  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Yakima  River.  The  Horse  Heaven  wheat 
country  lies  to  the  south  and  only  a  few  miles  distant.  Part  of  this  wheat 


28       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    OELILO    FALLS. 

country  trades  and  markets  its  crops  at  Kennewick.  All  the  fuel  and  building 
material  for  the  town,  valley,  and  wheat  country  has  to  be  shipped  in. 

The  town  has  but  one  railroad,  the  Northern  Pacific.  Aside  from  this  one 
railroad,  the  river  offers  opj>ortunity  for  transportation  during  high-water 
period,  but  owing  to  a  few  rocks  in  the  Homly  Rapids  a  few  miles  below 
Kennewick,  it  is  extremely  dangerous  as  the  water  subsides,  and  impossible 
when  water  is  very  low.  Up  river  for  about  70  miles  the  river  is  practically 
safe  the  year  round.  There  was  quite  a  large  steamer  and  one  small  one 
doing  business  on  the  river  the  summer  of  1905.  The  large  one  was  wrecked 
with  a  cargo  of  wheat  in  the  Homly  Rapids  in  September.  Considerable  and 
rapidly  increasing  business  is  being  done  in  1906.  One  steamer  (135  tons) 
and  two  small  ones  are  doing  business  up  the  river  and  down  as  far  as 
Umatilla.  The  larger  steamer,  the  W.  R.  Todd,  makes  weekly  runs  to  up-river 
points,  being  loaded  at  Kennewick.  Sometimes  has  more  than  can  be  carried. 
There  was,  during  the  twelve  months  past,  shipped  to  the  lumber  yards  and 
teed  stores  upward  of  600  carloads  of  lumber,  wood,  coal,  shingles,  lath,  doors, 
lime,  cement,  brick,  feed,  etc.,  besides  the  freight  for  merchants  brought  here 
in  less  than  car  lots. 

The  opening  of  the  Columbia  River  through  central  Washington  is  of  vital 
and  far-reaching  importance  to  the  development  of  the  State.  The  present 
transportation  facilities  are  utterly  inadequate  to  accommodate  the  yearly 
increase  of  immigrants,  who  hope  to  make  homes  in  Washington.  The  fertility 
of  the  soil  is  not  inviting  to  the  homeseeker  if  his  location  is  so  remote  as  to 
make  his  crops  unmarketable.  There  is  a  vast  area  in  central  Washington  un- 
surpassed in  richness,  whose  only  access  is  by  water.  The  wheat  fields  of 
southern  Douglas  County,  southwest  Adams  County,  and  northwest  Franklin 
County  are  practically  all  occupied,  while  the  farmers  located  there  have  to 
haul  their  wheat  from  15  to  30  miles  to  the  nearest  railroad. 

In  1905,  80,000  bushels  of  grain  were  shipped  from  eastern  Horse  Heaven  to 
Portland  by  way  of  Wallula.  The  farmers  were  obliged  to  ferry  the  wheat 
across  the  Columbia  to  reach  the  Oregon  Railway  and  Navigation  Company 
at  Wallula.  This  additional  expense  of  course  was  a  serious  drain  on  the 
resources  of  the  farmers.  The  freight  to  Portland,  including  the  cost  of 
ferrying  across  the  Columbia,  was  18  cents  a  bushel.  In  1906  the  Open  River 
Association  put  a  boat  on  the  river  to  navigate  between  the  town  of  Hover, 
opposite  Wallula,  and  Celilo.  where  the  boats  connect  with  the  Portage  road 
and  so  on  down  to  Portland.  At  the  present  time  the  greatest  part  of  the 
Horse  Heaven  wheat  is  carried  to  Portland  down  the  Columbia  by  boat.  The 
freight  to  Portland  from  Hover,  243  miles,  is  13  cents  a  bushel,  thus  effecting 
a  saving  of  5  cents  a  bushel  over  last  year's  expenses  by  rail.  A  considerable 
percentage  of  the  Horse  Heaven  wheat  is  still  hauled  to  Kennewick  on  account 
of  its  proximity.  From  Kennewick  to  Tacoma,  a  distance  of  245  miles,  the 
freight  rate  is  15  cents  a  bushel — that  is,  2  cents  a  bushel  in  excess  of  the 
water  rate  for  an  equal  distance. 

Water  transportation  has  an  additional  feature,  which  gives  great  satisfaction 
to  the  farmer.  When  his  grain  reaches  the  loading  platform  it  is  at  once  in- 
spected, weighed,  graded,  and  purchased  without  further  delay.  If  the  same 
grain  were  carried  by  rail,  the  inspection  and  grading  would  be  done  in 
Tacoma.  The  farmer  is  thus  at  the  mercy  of  others.  His  disadvantage  is 
obvious.  In  the  matter  of  building  materials,  hardware,  groceries,  and  other 
commodities  the  rates  by  water  are  equally  beneficial  to  the  public. 

The  Open  River  Transportation  Company  quotes  the  following  rates  from 
Portland  to  Pasco  and  Kennewick  per  100  pounds : 

First  class  __  $0.70 

Second  class  .65 

Third  class  .55 

Fourth  class  .45 

Fifth   class    _  .35 

By  Northern  Pacific  Railroad  Company  rates  are  as  follows : 

First  class  __  $1.10 

Second  class .95 

Third  class  .75 

Fourth  class .65 

Fifth  class  __  .55 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        29 

An  average  saving  of  20  cents  per  1UO  pounds  is  a  valuable  consideration  to  a 
new  cminminity.  On  the  other  hand,  goods  ordered  from  Portland  by  rail 
take  five  days  if  ordered  by  the  carload  and  from  five  to  eleven  days  if  by  local 
freight.  The  same-  goods  when  transported  by  water  are  delivered  in  Pasco 
or  Kennewick  in  less  than  three  days.  At  the  present  low  stage  of  water  in 
the  Columbia  River  the  boats  of  the  Open  River  Transportation  Company  do 
not  come  above  the  town  of  Hover  on  account  of  the  dangerous  Homly  Rapids, 
2  miles  above  Hover.  Ten  large  bowlders  obstruct  navigation  at  that  point. 
With  the  removal  of  these  rocks  the  Columbia  would  be  open  all  the  year  round 
to  navigation  as  far  as  Priest  Rapids,  a  distance  of  72  miles  above  Wallula. 

The  town  of  Kennewick  and  vicinity  suffers  greatly  from  unjust  discrimi- 
nation practiced  by  the  railroads.  Goods  ordered  from  eastern  cities  for  Ken- 
newick have  to  pay  the  full  rate  out  to  the  coast  plus  the  rate  from  the  coast 
back  to  Kennewick.  New  towns  up  the  river,  such  as  Richland,  Julia,  and 
White  Bluffs,  have  to  pay  the  additional  boat  charge  from  Kennewick.  An 
open  river  up  as  far  as  Priest  Rapids  would  be  an  effectual  cure  for  all  exist- 
ing extortion  and  discrimination. 

GEO.   F.  RICHARDSON. 
President  Kennewick  Commercial  Club. 

J.    W.    HEWETSON, 
f  Secretary. 

NOVEMBER  10,  1906. 


COMPARATIVE  STATEMENT  OF  FREIGHT  RATES,  SUBMITTED  BY  THE  CHAMBER  OF 
COMMERCE,  PORTLAND,  OREG. 

THE  PORTLAND  CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE. 

CHAMBER  OF  COMMERCE  BUILDING. 

Portland,  Oreg.,  November  24,  1906. 

DEAR  SIR  :  In  connection  with  the  statistics  which  you  are  gathering  to  show 
the  effect  of  water  competition  as  compared  with  rail,  I  herewith  inclose  you  a 
tabulated  sheet  giving  comparisons,  which  show  rather  startling  results,  par- 
ticularly when  you  consider  that  there  are  no  steamers  on  between  Portland 
and  Seattle,  but  only  that  the  opportunity  exists  if  rates  should  go  up. 


Yours,  very  truly, 

Lieut.  Col.  S.  W.  ROESSLER. 

Corps  of  Engineer 8.  Portland,  Oreg. 


J.  N.  TEAL. 


Comparative  statement  of  class  rates  and  various  commodity  rates  between 
Portland,  Oreg.,  and  Seattle,  Wash.  (185  miles),  on  Northern  Pacific  Railroad, 
as  compared  with  rates  between  Portland,  Oreg.,  and  Umatilla,  Oreg.  (186 
miles),  on  line  of  Oregon  Railroad  and  Navigation  Company,  to  show  the  effect 
of  water  competition  where  absolutely  no  vessels  ply  beticeen  points  so  af- 
fected. 

[Rates  figured  on  100-pound  basis.] 

CLASS  RATES. 


From  — 

To— 

1. 

2. 

8. 

4. 

5. 

A. 

B. 

C. 

D. 

E. 

Portland  
Do 

Umatilla  
Seattle 

00 

4*1 

87 
89 

70 
88 

60 

•><> 

51 
OR 

46 

OR 

41 

?R 

26 
ffl 

23 

18 

17 
14 

Difference   in   favor  of   water 

•ir> 

is 

B7 

si 

26 

21 

IS 

B 

B 

1 

competition. 

30       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 


tiit'-nu-iit  of  /<//r.\  on  ruritni*  com  mot/it i<-x  bctirccn  I'ortlftiiil.  <))•<><>.. 
mill  Seattle,  Wash.,  etc. — Continued. 

CARLOAD  COMMODITY  RATES. 


From  — 

To— 

Canned 
goods. 

Dried 
fruits. 

Bar 

iron. 

Sirup. 

Salt. 

Portland 

Umatilla         

51 

60 

50 

61 

37i 

Do 

Seattle 

12 

15 

12i 

10 

8f 

Difference    in    favor  of    water 

, 

39 

45 

37i 

41 

28} 

CARLOAD  COMMODITY   RATES    (TONS). 


Portland 

Uraatilla 

810  20 

812  00 

810  00 

810  20 

87  60 

Do  

Seattle  

2.40 

3.  00 

2.50 

2.00 

1.75 

Difference    in    favor   of   water 
competition  

7.80 

9.00 

7.50 

8.20 

5.75 

LETTER    OF    THE    LEWISTON-CLABKSTON    COMPANY. 

BOSTON,  October  10,  1906. 

SIR  :  A  letter  from  Congressman  W.  L.  Jones,  via  Clarkston,  Wash.,  on  the 
above-named  subject  has  just  reached  ine.  He  asks  me  to  take  up  the  above- 
named  subject  with  the  Lewiston  Chamber  of  Commerce  and  similar  organi- 
zations. As  1  was  instrumental  in  collecting  data  for  Major  Harts,  a  former 
chief  in  your  present  office,  on  the  same  subject,  because  of  my  great  interest 
in  the  opening  of  the  rivers  to  navigation,  I  am  likewise  glad  now  to  assist 
your  work  in-  any  way  that  I  may.  I  trust  the  Lewiston  Commercial  Club  is 
doing  something  in  the  matter  and  that  you  will  hear  from  it  before  long. 
Some  weeks  ago  its  special  committee  having  this  thing  in  charge  wrote  me 
for  suggestions.  I  replied  at  once,  stating  the  means  adopted  in  a  former 
instance  and  urging  prompt  action  on  a  similar  plan.  In  effect  the  plan  was 
to  interview  all  sources  of  information  and  compile  the  data  for  your  pur- 
poses. Now,  as  I  shall  not  return  to  Lewiston-CJarkston  for  several  weeks, 
I  will  give  you  an  outline  which  may  be  of  use. 

In  18!)")  the  region  bordering  Snake  River  tributary  to  Lewiston-Clarkston 
produced  only  200,000  bushels  of  grain.  By  1900  this  had  increased  to  exceed- 
ing 4,000,000  bushels.  The  crop  of  1905  was  estimated  by  the  grain  buyers 
as  approximating  10,000,000  bushels.  With  adequate  transportation  facilities 
and  the  moderate  freight  rates  which  would  be  insured  by  water  transporta- 
tion, it  is  estimated  that  additional  lands  would  be  brought  under  cultivation 
in  the  same  and  contiguous  territory  to  an  extent  which  would  increase  the 
output  to  25,000.000  bushels.  The  yield  above  estimated  was  drawn  almost 
entirely  from  Nez  Perce  County,  Idaho,  and  from  Asotin  and  Garfield  counties. 
Wash.  The  "  contiguous  "  territory  above  mentioned  refers  particularly  to  the 
high  plateaus  lying  between  the  Grande  Ronde  and  Snake  rivers  in  Washing- 
ton and  between  the  Snake  and  Little  Salmon  and  main  Salmon  rivers  in  Idaho, 
not  now  served  by  any  means  of  transportation  which  will  permit  the  growing 
of  grains  for  market.  With  water- route  transportation  freight-rate  regulation 
the  growing  of  grains  on  the  high  plateaus  bordering  Snake  River  from  Pitts- 
burg  Landing  to  Riparia  would  undoubtedly  be  largely  increased.  You  are 
doubtless  aware  of  the  fact  that  the  freight  rate  on  grain  from  the  territory 
named  to  the  seaboard  five  years  ago  was  almost  exactly  ten  times  as  great 
per  ton  per  mile  as  it  was  along  the  Mississippi  River.  Since  then  I  believe 
the  rate  has  been  reduced  about  10  per  cent,  and  the  Oregon  portage  railroad 
around  The  Dalles-Celilo  Rapids  of  the  Columbia  has  effected  a  much  greater 
reduction  for  some  distance  up  the  river,  as  you  are  doubtless  well  informed. 

With  low  freight  rates  secured  and  insured  by  means  of  the  navigability 
of  the  rivers  from  Lewiston-Clarkston  to  the  sea  the  vast  white  pine,  tamarack, 
yellow  pine,  and  cedar  forests  of  the  Clearwater  and  Grande  Ronde  basins 
would  be  manufactured  in  great  amounts  for  shipments  from  river  points. 
Logs  from  the  Clearwater  forests  would  be  floated  to  Lewiston-Clarkston  and 
there  manufactured  for  shipment.  Likewise,  the  Grande  Ronde  timber  would 
be  manufactured  at  the  mouth  of  that  river  on  the  Snake,  or  at  Clarkston. 
As  you  are  well  aware,  the  Snake  is  freely  navigable  for  most  of  the  year 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Grande  Ronde  to  Lewiston-Clarkston  and  below.  The 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.        31 

Clear-water  forests  are  reputed  by  cruisers  to  contain  some  9,000,000.000  feet  of 
white  pine  and  a  much  greater  aggregate  of  the  other  timbers.  The  Grande 
Ronde  forests  are  estimated  to  contain  between  two  and  a  half  and  four  billion 
feet  of  merchantable  timber,  chiefly  yellow  pine,  a  wood  which  now  ranks  in 
commercial  value  well  up  to  that  of  the  white  pine,  as  I  am  informed  by  pro- 
gressive lumber  men. 

Water  transportation  would  undoubtedly  result  in  the  establishment  of  flour 
mills  along  the  Snake  River  for  the  manufacture  of  flour  for  the  export  trade. 
A  large  manufacturer  of  Portland  cement  has  virtually  promised  me  that  he 
would  erect  a  cement  factory  at  a  point  above  Lewiston-Clarkston  if  he  could  be 
guaranteed  a  rate  to  Portland  not  exceeding  $2  per  ton,  a  rate  which  could  be 
hardly  assured  except  through  the  influence  of  water-route  rate  regulations.  A 
beet-sugar  manufacturer  stands  much  in  the  same  attitude  on  the  question  of 
establishing  a  million  dollar  factory  near  Lewiston-Clarkstoii.  Other  condi- 
tions are  peculiarly  favorable  for  the  beet-sugar  industry,  not  only  soil,  climate, 
and  water,  but  also  a  great  deposit  of  limestone  on  the  river  bank  near  the 
Grande  Ronde  and  large  deposits  of  lignite  only  12  miles  up  the  Grande  Ronde. 
A  mountainous  limestone  dike  borders  Snake  River  for  several  miles.  It  is 
of  excellent  quality  for  burning  and  includes  veins  of  good  marble.  Adjacent 
to  this  limestone  is  a  big  outcropping  of  fine  granite,  some  portions  of  which 
compare  favorably  and  closely  with  the  monument  granite  of  Barre,  Vt.  The 
•Coal  or  lignite  deposits  above  mentioned  are  known  to  cover  many  thousands 
of  acres,  having  been  traced  for  30  miles  along  the  Grande  Ronde  Canyon 
from  a  point  only  12  miles  above  its  mouth.  These  enormously  rich  deposits 
of  coal,  limestone,  and  granite  only  await  cheap  transportation  for  their 
development. 

From  Pi'ttsburg  Landing  to  near  the  mouth  of  the  Grande  Ronde,  accessible 
to  steamboats  most  of  the  year  following  but  little  work  in  the  removal  of 
bowlders  and  bad  ledges,  are  rich  deposits  of  copper,  gold,  and  silver  ores, 
directly  in  and  closely  adjacent  to  the  Snake  River  Canyon.  Much  money  has 
been  spent  and  is  being  spent  upon  the  development  of  these  ore  bodies,  but 
your  familiarity  with  the  river  will  show  you  better  than  I  can  tell  you  how 
impossible  it  is  to  develop  real  producing  mines  there  without  any  adequate 
transportation. 

Whether  boats  would  be  run  upon  the  river  or  not  under  conditions  of 
navigability  through  to  the  sea  may  well  be  answered  by  stating  that  the 
people  of  Lewiston-Clarkston  have  already  built  two  small  steamboats  within 
the  past  four  or  five  years,  one  of  which  was  wrecked  and  destroyed  by  reason 
of  slight  obstructions  in  the  upper  Snake  River,  'which  might  have  been 
removed  at  small  cost  to  the  Government.  Our  present  boat.  The  Mountain 
Gem,  was  built  for  regular  runs  from  Lewistou-Clarkston  up  the  river,  but  the 
rocks  and  rapids  make  the  river  unsafe  for  much  of  the  year,  although  these 
obstructions  could  be  removed  to  an  extent  to  make  that  portion  of  the  river 
navigable  for  nine  months  in  the  year  for  an  amount  probably  less  than  the 
cost  of  one  small  steamboat. 

An  electric  railroad  to  extend  100  miles  into  the  interior  from  Lewiston 
southeasterly  has  been  surveyed,  most  of  the  rights  of  way  secured,  and  now 
announced  to  have  been  fully  financed,  is  planned  to  operate  directly  in  con- 
nection with  its  own  line  of  boats  from  Lewiston  to  Portland  via  the  portage 
railroad  and  through  The  Dalles  Canal,  when  built.  The  Walla  Walla  people 
propose  to  build  and  have  announced  the  formal  organization  of  a  corporation 
for  the  building  of  an  electric  railroad  through  the  Walla  Walla  agricultural 
districts  to  the  Columbia  River.  Recent  advices  from  Seattle  are  to  the  effect 
that  a  company  of  Seattle  capitalists  has  let  a  contract  for  the  installation  of  a 
large  electrical  plant  to  be  operated  by  the  power  of  the  Priest  Rapids,  on  the 
Columbia,  in  Yakima  County,  and  that  a  part  of  its  programme  is  the  operation 
of  an  electric  railroad  from  the  Columbia  River  into  the  interior.  The  Spokane 
and  Inland  Electric  Railway  is  now  under  construction ;  is  completed  to 
Waverly ;  expects  to  be  running  to  Moscow  within  a  year ;  its  objective  point  is 
the  Snake  River,  probably  at  Lewiston-Clarkston,  and  a  part  of  its  definite  plan 
is  to  operate  in  connection  with  boats  on  the  river,  in  order  that  it  may  make 
through  rates  from  the  Palouse  country  to  the  sea. 

Trusting  that  the  foregoing  may  be  of  some  use  to  you,  I  am, 
Yours,  truly, 

E.  H.  LIBBY, 

President  Lewiston-Clarkston  Company,  Clarkston,  Wash. 
Lieut  Col.  S.  W.  ROESSLER, 

Corps  of  Engineers,  Portland,  Oreg. 


82       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

REPORT   OK   T!!  A  .NSi'Oin  ATI  ON    COM  M  1'ITKK    OK    TIM:    CMAMIMiK    OK    COM  M  KRC'K.    PORTLAND, 
ORKG..   ON    A.\   OPEN    RIVER. 

PORTLAND,  OREO..  June  IS,  1906. 

The  ClIAMHKR-OK  COMMERCE,    ft >>1l(lll<l,    OlTfJ.: 

We  submit  at  this  time  a  report  on  the  "  open  river  "  in  order  that  those 
interested  may  know  not  only  what  has  heen  done,  but  what  is  contemplated 
and  necessary  to  be  done  in  the  immediate  future  to  make  a  reality  an  "  open 
river"  from  Lewiston  to  the  sea.  It  is  hard,  wearisome,  and  in  some  respects 
a  thankless  task,  but  the  time  will  come  when  a  deep  entrance  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Columbia,  deep  water  to  Portland,  and  a  free  river  above  will  be  understood 
and  appreciated  by  all.  This  committee  is  inrre  convinced  than  ever  that  if 
Portland  is  to  be  a  great  commercial  seaport,  if  the  interior  is  to  receive  the 
benefits  of  reasonable  rates  and  to  reach  its  proper  development,  it  will  be 
brought  about  only  through  a  deep  and  safe  channel  to  the  sea  and  the  opening 
to  navigation  of  the  waterways  of  the  Northwest.  Realizing  these  conditions, 
this  committee  and  those  acting  with  it  will  not,  can  not,  cease  their  labors  until 
their  hopes  are  realized.  Moreover,  we  feel  the  people  should  know  the  facts 
respecting  the  work  to  be  done.  When  they  do  know  them  and  appreciate  the  im- 
portance of  the  early  completion  of  what  this  committee  is  striving  for.  then 
they  will  demand,  as  they  have  the  right  to,  that  the  money  necessary  to  com- 
plete the  work  shall  be  forthcoming.  No  commerce  is  growing  as  is  that  of  the 
Pacific  coast.  Is  ours  locally  keeping  pace  with  that  of  our  rivals?  Are  we 
in  a  position  to  handle  the  great  ocean  traffic  which  will  certainly  follow  the 
opening  of  the  Tehuantepec  Railway  and  the  building  of  the  Panama  Canal? 
Are  we  getting  our  rightful  share  of  the  Alaska  trade,  that  of  the  Hawaiian 
Islands,  the  Philippines.  China.  Japan,  and  other  countries?  We  are  not,  and 
the  reason  for  it  is  plain.  To-day  the  large  steamer  with  great  carrying 
capacity  is  used  because  it  must  be  used  to  carry  freight  cheaply  on  long  voy- 
ages, and  for  these  vessels  to  dock  at  our  wharves  requires  greater  depth  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Columbia.  It  may  be  deemed  unwise,  possibly  unpatriotic,  to 
say  this,  but  it  is  true,  and  it  is  useless  to  conceal  it,  particularly  where  it  can 
be  remedied. 

We  will  now  present  the  situation  on  the — 

UPPER    COLUMBIA    RIVER. 

For  many  years  in  the  early  history  of  the  State  this  river  was  the  only 
means  of  communication  or  for  distribution  of  freight  for  all  that  country 
known  as  the  inland  empire.  This  river  and  the  Willamette  made  Portland, 
and  are  yet  the  key  to  the  transportation  problem  of  this  country.  On  the  use 
of  these  waterways,  both  below  and  above,  the  future  of  this  city  depends,  and 
our  loyalty  to  them  should  be  complete  and  unquestioned.  After  the  building 
of  the  railroad  by  the  Oregon  Railroad  and  Navigation  Company  the  steamers 
were  withdrawn  from  the  upper  Columbia,  and  gradually  the  benefits  of  river 
navigation  were  lost  sight  of  except  by  a  few  enthusiasts  who  were  generally 
regarded  as  harmless  cranks.  This  great  river  for  years  has  been  spoken  of 
otily  as  a  scenic  attraction.  Its  real  purpose  in  the  great  work  of  empire  build- 
ing was  overlooked.  The  idea  was,  and  in  some  quarters  still  is,  sedulously 
cultivated  that  one  of  the  greatest  waterways  on  the  American  continent  is 
useful  only  on  its  lower  stretches,  but  above  serves  no  purpose  except  to  add  to 
the  beauty  of  a  railroad  poster.  From  Portland  to  the  sea  it  could  bear  on 
its  broad  bosom  the  commerce  of  the  world  in  competition  with  railroads,  but 
from  Portland  to  Lciciston  its  usefulness  was  limited  to  pleasing  the  eye  of 
the  tourist  and  creating  a  water  grade  for  the  railroad.  While  the  States  bor- 
dering on  the  Great  Lakes,  those  on  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  and  other  rivers, 
were  making  strenuous  efforts  to  improve  them  for  navigation,  while  New  York 
was  voting  millions  to  deepen  the  Erie  Canal,  and  every  country  in  Europe  was 
improving  their  natural  and  creating  artificial  waterways,  we  were  allowing 
the  most  potent  instrument  we  had  in  furthering  our  development  to  go  not  only 
unused,  but  to  be  treated  as  a  subject  for  the  artist  only.  Now,  however,  the 
sentiment  has  changed.  No  one  in  all  that  great  country  lying  east  of  the 
Cascade  Mountains  but  believes  the  river  must  be  opened.  In  this  city  there  is 
also  practical  unanimity.  What  has  caused  this  awakening?  Like  all  public 
movements  in  the  face  of  the  opposition  of  powerful  interests,  it  has  taken 
time  and  many  object  lessons  before  the  people  realized  what  was  required. 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND   TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.       33 

THE   FIRST    STEP. 

Many  years  ago  the  first  step  was  taken  in  opening  the  Columbia  River  by 
commencing  the  building  of  the  locks  and  canal  at  the  Cascades  of  the  Colum- 
bia. This  task  seemed  to  be  almost  interminable,  precisely  the  same  influences 
delaying  its  completion  as  are  to-day  seeking  to  delay,  if  not  prevent,  the  com- 
pletion of  the  work  at  Celilo.  Finally,  in  desperation,  the  State,  at  a  consider- 
able cost,  built  a  portage  railway  at  the  Cascades.  The  benefits  to  result  from 
the  improvement  were  then  demonstrated  so  certainly  that  it  was  not  long 
before  the  canal  and  locks  were  completed. 

CHANGES    IN    TARIFFS. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  the  changes  in  the  tariff  between  Portland  and  The 
Dalles  during  the  last  thirty  years. 

In  1877  the  Oregon  Steam  Navigation  Company  operated  a  fine  line  of 
steamers  on  the  river.  J.  C.  Ainsworth  was  the  president,  S.  G.  Reed,  vice- 
president,  and  Theodore  Wygant,  secretary.  Freight  and  passengers  were 
transferred  by  rail  around  the  Cascades  on  the  Washington  side,  thus  necessi- 
tating four  extra  handlings.  On  down  freight  the  rate  was  $5  per  ton  on  wheat, 
$10  per  ton  on  pressed  and  baled  wool,  and  other  articles  in  proportion.  On 
"up  freight  it  was  $10  per  ton,  measurement  or  weight,  according  to  the  character 
of  freight.  In  those  days  they  did  not  have  a  complicated  classification  tariff 
that  puzzles  even  the  makers  to  understand.  Prior  to  1883  the  railroad  was 
completed  to  The  Dalles  and  beyond,  and  as  late  as  1893  the  charges  per  ton  on 
grain  from  The  Dalles,  and  on  the  heaviest  goods  to  The  Dalles  from  Portland, 
were  as  follows : 


/ 

C.L. 

L.C.L. 

Salt                                                                                                                         -  - 

85.20 

$7.40 

6  20 

740 

6.20 

7.40 

6.20 

7.40 

2  70 

On  other  classes  of  freight  the  rates  were  higher! 

OPENING   OF   LOCKS. 

In  1896  the  locks  were  opened  and  rates  immediately  fell,  and  in  1905,  on 
the  same  commodities,  the  rates  were  as  follows: 


C.L. 

L.C.L. 

Salt                                                                                                     

$1.50 

$3.00 

2.00 

3.00 

2  00 

3.00 

Nails                                                                                   

2.00 

3.00 

1.50 

It  will  be  observed  that  on  all  up  freights  the  tariff  was  reduced  over  300 
per  cent,  and  it  would  be  greater  still  were  it  not  for  a  combination  between  rail 
and  water  to  maintain  rates.  Neither  have  the  boats  been  run  off  the  river. 
There  are  more  in  operation  now  than  in  the  palmiest  days  of  the  Oregon  Steam 
Navigation  Company,  when  it  was  operating  as  far  as  Lewiston.  This  object 
lesson  should  -arouse  the  determination  and  enthusiasm  of  every  public-spirited 
citizen  in  having  the  obstacles  between  Celilo  and  The  Dalles  cleared  and  the 
river  above  opened.  A  start  has  been  made.  Will  this  work  be  dragged  along 
as  was  that  at  the  Cascades?  If  so.  a  half  a  century  will  not  see  it  completed. 
With  so  rich  a  prize  at  stake,  the  fight  will  be  a  bitter  one.  The  river  open, 
means  low  rates  from  Portland  through  the  inland  empire — closed,  a  goose  for 
two  railroads  to  pluck  instead  of  one.  for  these  roads  may  fight  all  they  please 
over  construction,  they  won't  over  rates.  They  .all  operate  on  the  same  gen- 
ii. Doc.  440,  59-2 3 


34       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

eral  lines,  and  if  they  won't  compete,  you  can't  make  them  compete.  The 
railroads  are  operated  primarily  in  the  interest  of  the  owners,  and  to  develop 
business  on  the  basis  of  charging  all  the  traffic  will  bear,  as  Mr.  C.  P.  Hunting- 
ton  used  to  frankly  admit.  On  the  other  hand.  we.  without  any  unkindly 
feeling,  look  at  it  from  another  standpoint.  We  believe  that  rates  should  be 
fixed  with  some  relation  to  cost  and  true  capitalization,  and  that  a  reasonable 
return  on  the  investment  is  all  that  should  be  charged.  We  believe  some  regard 
should  be  paid  to  the  development  of  the  country,  and  that  the  railroad  should 
aid  in  this  where  it  gets  primarily  the  first  and  greatest  benefit.  We  believe 
that  natural  advantages  should  not  be  arbitrarily  disregarded,  through  artificial 
agreements  entered  into  for  reasons  having  in  many  cases  no  relation  to  the 
country  affected,  but  that  the  shipper  should  have  some  of  the  benefits  resulting 
from  low  operating  cost,  and  not  be  compelled  to  pay  exorbitant  rates  because 
some  one  else  built  a  road  over  a  mountain  instead  of  on  a  river  bank,  as  has 
been  the  case  in  the  past  when  the  Oregon  Railroad  and  Navigation  Company 
has  made  the  same  rates  to  tidewater  as  has  the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany, which  crosses  two  mountain  ranges. 

TARIFFS    ABOVE    THE    DAI.l.HS. 

By  a  glance  at  the  following  figures,  one  can  readily  see  why  the  people 
affected  insist  on  water  competition,  and  why  the  railroads  insist  there  shall 
not  be : 

[Rates  given  per  ton.] 


Portland  to— 

Salt. 

Sugar. 

Canned  goods. 

G~4Kj. 

C.L. 

L.  C.  L. 

C.L.  IL.C.L. 

C.L. 

L.C.L. 

The  Dalles.... 

88       $1.50 
187         7.  50 

83.00 
12.00 

$2.00       83.00* 
10.20       12.00 

82.00 
10.20 

$3.00 
12.  00. 

$1.50        $7.00 
3.  00         14.  40 

Umatilla  . 

The  rates  to  Umatilla  are  higher  by  from  100  to  over  500  per  cent  than  they 
are  to  The  Dalles.  It  costs  $2  to  carry  a  ton  of  sugar  to  The  Dalles,  88  miles, 
but  to  carry  it  the  next  100  miles  costs  $8.20.  Before  the  river  was  open  it  cost 
$6.20  to  transport  the  same  amount  of  sugar  the  same  distance  now  carried  for 
$2,  and  which  should  be  carried  for  less,  and  that  is  why  we  stand  for  an  "  open 
river  "  note,  not  in  1950. 

CONTROL    OF    RATES. 

There  are  three  and  only  three  ways  to  control  freight  rates :  By  competition : 
by  regulation ;  by  ownership. 

We  are  trying  the  first,  through  natural  means,  but  if  this  fails,  the  second 
will  surely  follow.  If  it  is  essential  to  regulate  interstate  traffic  through  a  com- 
mission and  by  law,  the  same  reasoning  applies  with  ctjiial  if  not  greater  force 
to  the  regulation  of  intrastate  commerce  and  by  law. 


EFFECT    OF    COMPETITION    OF    PORTAGE    RAILWAY. 

The  completion  of  the  "  portage  road  "  by  the  State  between  Celilo  and  the 
Big  Eddy,  and  its  tentative  operation,  has  shown  that  it  can  be  made  to  regu- 
late freight  rates,  that  it  will  lead  to  a  greater  and  speedier  interior  development, 
and  also  has  developed  what  is  necessary  to  be  done  to  make  it  a  success. 

The  Open  River  Association  found  when  this  road  was  completed  that  they 
were  expected  to  furnish  transportation  facilities  also.  Through  the  Mountain 
Gem,  on  the  upper  river,  they  finally  succeeded  in  establishing,  with  connections 
below,  a  service  that  was  far  from  satisfactory  either  to  themselves  or  patrons. 
Between  The  Dalles  and  Portland  the  "  Regulator  "  line  of  boats,  controlled  by 
the  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company,  made  irregular  trips,  and  the  manner 
•and  time  of  delivery  were  unsatisfactory,  although  a  satisfactory  understanding 
was  had  when  the  service  started,  but  finally,  on  one  day's  notice  to  the  com- 
mittee, it  was  cut  out  altogether.  To  the  committee  the  character  of  service  ren- 
dered, followed  as  it  was  by  the  peremptory  canceling  of  the  agreement,  has 
the  earmarks  of  a  deliberate  intent  to  hamper  the  operation  of  the  portage  road 
and  to  weaken  the  "  open  river  "  movement.  This  view  is  further  strengthened 
by  the  fact  that  it  was  again  followed  by  an  equally  peremptory  violation  of  an 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.       35 

implied  agreement  covering  the  handling  of  freight  on  the  upper  river,  when 
after  we  had  rendered  all  the  service  possible  in  furthering  the  work  of  the 
north  bank  road,  and  it  was  thought  our  services  were  no  longer  necessary, 
without  even  a  formal  notice,  the  understanding  we  were  working  under  was 
cast  aside  as  though  it  were  not  of  the  slightest  consequence.  Above  Celilo,  as 
the  association  could  not  control  the  boat,  its  operation  did  not  tend  to  develop 
commercial  traffic  as  it  should.  Notwithstanding  these  discouragements  and 
troubles,  results  were  obtained.  Rates  by  river  were  less  to  common  points ;  the 
railroad  in  a  number  of  ways  bettered  its  service;  cars  were  furnished  more 
promptly,  patrons'  interests  more  closely  looked  after,  and  we  believe  the  Wash- 
ington farmer  on  the  north  bank  or  some  one  else  profited  largely,  for  we  found 
at  river  points  we  could  not  get  wheat,  although  we  offered  to  carry  for  25  cents 
per  ton  less  than  rail  rates,  besides  saving  a  crossing  charge  of  50  cents  a  ton. 
As  we  have  run  across  no  one  that  was  giving  us  any  money,  we  are  forced  to 
the  possible  uncharitable  conclusion,  that  there  was  some  "  absorbing "  going 
on.  We  hope  the  farmer  got  the  benefit. 

Following  a  visit  of  a  representative  of  the  association  to  Condon  in  April 
of  this  year  a  reduction  was  made  of  from  $1  to  $3  per  ton  on  freight  to  that 
point.  A  reduction  on  wheat  from  Arlington  of  40  cents  per  ton  has  also  been 
made,  and  the  Oregon  Railroad  and  Navigation  Company  has  promised  to  take 
care  of  the  differential  on  grain  shipped  in  sailing  vessels  from  this  port.  Since 
the  portage  railway  was  finished  the  "  Hill "  line  down  the  north  bank  has 
commenced  building,  and  as  a  direct  result  of  the  opening  of  the  river  Walla 
Walla  capitalists  are  now  projecting  an  electric  railway  line  to  connect  all  of 
the  Walla  Walla  country  with  the  river  and  a  boat  line.  Another  line  has  been 
projected  and  considerable  work  has  been  done  on  the  same  through  Sherman 
and  Gilliam  counties.  The  Lewiston  electric  line  will  depend  largely  upon 
river  connection  for  handling  its  traffic.  The  projected  line  from  Spokane  to 
the  Columbia  River  will  also  depend' upon  the  river  for  a  like  service.  The 
Oregon  Trunk  Line  has  now  completed  a  survey  up  the  Deschutes  River 
as  far  as  Madras  on  Agency  Plains,  and  it  is  stated  intends  to  commence  con- 
struction work  this  month.  All  of  these  proposed  roads  are  the  direct  result 
of  opening  the  river  to  navigation  by  the  building  of  the  portage  railway, 
and  it  can  not  be  questioned  but  that  when  the  locks  and  canal  are  finished 
between  Celilo  and  the  Big  Eddy  there  will  be  numerous  short  roads  leading  to 
the  interior  from  the  river,  opening  up  more  country  to  settlement,  insuring 
a  much  larger  population  and  a  speedier  development. 

BOAT   LINE. 

It  has  been  demonstrated,  however,  from  the  experiences  of  the  Open  River 
Association,  thaf  it  is  absolutely  essential  to  have  an  independent  boat  line 
free  from  any  entanglements  of  any  kind  if  the  river  transportation  is  to  be 
effective.  This  has  been  practically  accomplished  by  the  organization  of  the 
Open  River  Transportation  Company,  with  a  capital  of  $100,000,  which  now 
has  under  contract  the  construction  of  two  excellent  boats  for  the  upper  river, 
and  the  committee  feel  that  they  are  safe  in  saying  that  satisfactory  arrange- 
ments can  be  made  for  operating  below. 

EXTENSION    OF    PORTAGE    RAILWAY    TO    THE    DALLES. 

The  next  great  essential  is  the  extension  of  the  portage  railway  from  the 
Big  Eddy,  its  present  western  terminus,  to  The  Dalles,  a  distance  of  about  4 
miles.'  This  will  induce  a  very  much  greater  local  traffic,  and  will  reduce  the 
freight  rates  on  both  up  and  down  freight,  as  The  Dalles  is  the  natural  termi- 
nus for  steamboat  lines.  In  this  connection  we  are  glad  to  announce  that  the 
Commercial  Club  at  The  Dalles  has  had  the  road  surveyed  and  will  furnish 
the  right  of  way  into  The  Dalles,  but  this  road  must  be  extended  and  as  soon 
as  possible.  The  benefit  to  the  country  of  the  portage  railway  can  not  "be 
measured  by  its  earnings.  Its  purpose  is  primarily  that  of  regulator  and  not  a 
carrier,  and  if  from  its  operations  and  as  a  result  therefrom  a  fair  reduction 
is  made  on  freight  rates  it  will  have  served  its  purpose.  Ordinarily  on  gov- 
ernmental works  of  this  character  no  charge  whatever  is  made,  they  being 
operated  free  like  the  locks  and  canal  at  the  Cascades.  To  measure  the  benefits 
resulting  from  this  character  of  work  by  the  receipts  from  traffic  is  manifestly 
misleading. 


36       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

STEAMBOATS. 

The  following  steamboats  are  operated  on  the  Columbia  River  above  We- 
natchee  by  the  Columbia  River  and  Okanogan  Steamboat  Company : 

Net  tonnage. 

W.  H.  Pringle 507 

Alexander  Griggs 100 

Chelan    154 

North  Star 91 

PASCO    AND    BELOW. 

Tons. 

New  steamer,  now  building  at  Ainsworth   (owned  by  Mr.  Miller  and  as- 
sociates)   301 

Columbia,  at  Blalock  (owned  by  Smith  &  Mariner) 106 

Mountain  Gem,  Lewiston  (owned  by  Lewiston  Navigation  Company) 282 

Norma,  Riparia  (owned  by  Jacob  Kaniin) 452 

Qerome,  mouth  of  Snake  River  (owned  by  Todd  &  Cover) 130 

Lewiston,    Riparia 487 

Spokane,  Riparia  (owned  by  Oregon  Railroad  and  Navigation  Company )__  408 
New  steamer,  contracted  for  (owned  by  Open  River  Transportation  Com- 
pany)     450 

Hanaford,  Pasco  (owned  by  Northern  Pacific  Railway  Company) 444 

It  will  thus  be  seen  there  are  quite  a  number  of  boats  even  now  on  the 
river,  if  they  were  available  for  our  use,  but  most  of  them  are  owned  or  con- 
trolled by  the  railroad  companies.  It,  however,  gives  some  idea  of  what  will 
be  on  the  river  when  it  is  really  open  to  navigation. 

In  order  that  there  may  be  no  misapprehension  as  to  the  facts  in  respect 
to  what  is  necessary  to  be  done  if  it  is  desired  to  have  the  locks  and  canal 
speedily  completed  at  Celilo,  the  committee  wish  the  people  generally  to  know 
that  Hon.  Theodore  E.  Burton,  the  chairman  of  the  Rivers  and  Harbors  Com- 
mittee, at  Washington,  stated  that  he  would  view  with  a  great  deal  of  interest 
the  result  of  the  operation  .of  the  boats  on  the  upper  Columbia,  and  that  if 
he  found  that  the  river  was  not  used  and  that  no  benefit  resulted  therefrom, 
it  would  be  sufficient  evidence  to  him  that  the  project  was  not  a  meritorious 
one.  and  he  would  oppose  further  appropriations.  He  practically  confirmed 
this  statement  in  a  letter  dated  April  25.  190f>.  in  which  he  stated  that  he 
should  wa'tch  the  trial  of  the  operation  of  a  line  of  steamers  on  the  upper 
river  with  interest.  With  these  frank  statements  from  a  man  of  the  character, 
standing,  and  influence  of  Mr.  Burton,  tlic  question  of  whether  or  not  the  river 
is  to  be  opened  to  navigation  will  rest  larc/elji  vith  the  peoph.'  themselves.  It 
is  now  for  the  people  to  say  whether  or  not  it  is  worth  the  making  of  any 
effort  on  their  part  to  secure  this  improvement,  for  it  is  in  their  own  hands. 
If  the  river  is  used,  or  its  possible  use  brings  the  results  claimed,  the  canal  and 
locks  will  soon  be  a  reality.  If  not,  it  will  take  years  before  they  are  finished. 

CONDITION    OF   GOVERNMENT    WORK    AT    CECILO. 

The  amount  of  money  now  on  hand  and  available,  including  the  $300,000 
to  be  provided  for  in  the  sundry  civil  bill,  is  $435,000.  There  is  outstanding 
against  this  amount  $14,000.  and  the  amount  required  to  complete  contracts 
now  in  force,  which  is  approximately  $284.000. 

The  contract  for  the  removal  of  the  obstructions  at  Threemile  Rapids  will 
require  another  lew-water  season,  and  it  is  hoped  the  work  will  be  finished 
about  next  December. 

The  contract  for  the  basin  and  lock  at  the  Celilo  end  of  the  canal  stipulates 
for  its  completion  by  January  1,  1907.  but  it  is  probable  that  it  will  take  sev- 
eral months  more  to  do  the  work.  With  annual  appropriations  of  $500,000  it 
will  require  eight  or  ten  years  to  complete  the  work,  but  if  the  whole  amount 
of  the  estimated  cost  were  available,  the  work  could  be  completed  in  about 
three  years.  From  the  foregoing  facts,  one  is  about  as  well  qualified  as 
another  to  predict  the  date  of  completion.  If  we  cease  working  for  appropria- 
tions for  this  purpose,  its  completion  will  be  delayed  indefinitely.  We  believe 
that  when  the  people  generally  realize  the  comparatively  small  amounts  appro- 
priated for  river  and  harbor  improvements,  and  the  great  waste  and  loss, 


COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS.       37 

both  direct  and  indirect,  caused  by  delay,  they  will  demand  that  appropriations 
be  made  in  sufficient  amounts  to  properly  care  for  and  complete  all  approved 
projects.  There  is  no  reason  why  this  should  not  be  done.  There  is  no  purpose 
for  which  money  is  expended  by  the  United  States  that  does  so  much  good 
to  such  a  large  number  of  people.  The  United  States  has  taken  jurisdiction 
over  the  navigable  waters  and  harbors  and  it  is  in  duty  bound  to  improve 
them.  For  a  number  of  years  past  the  amount  available  annually  for  the 
entire  country  for  river  and  harbor  work  has  been  but  about  $18,600,000, 
and  this  in  many  cases  has  been  appropriated  at  such  long  intervals  as  to 
greatly  increase  the  cost.  No  part  of  the  country  has  a  greater  interest  in 
the  speedy  completion  of  the  Panama  Canal  than  has  the  Pacific  coast,  but  at 
the  same  time  it  does  seem  that  if  $33,000,000  or  thereabouts  can  be  appropri- 
ated for  the  Panama  Canal  by  this  Congress,  a  river  and  harbor  bill  for  home 
purposes  might  have  been  in  order.  It  would  also  seem  if  it  is  right  and 
expedient  to  issue  bonds  to  raise  the  money  to  push  the  Panama  Canal  work, 
the  same  reasoning  would  justify  the  issuance  of  bonds  for  work  in  our  own 
country. 

Indeed,  in  view  of  the  fact  that  there  is  now  pending  before  the  Rivers  and 
Harbors  Committee  approved  projects  to  cost  about  $300,000,000,  and  that 
an  average  of  but  about  $18,600,000  is  being  appropriated  annually,  it  is  well 
worth  while  to  give  serious  consideration  to  the  advisability  of  issuing,  say 
$500.000,000  in  bonds,  more  or  less,  as  may  be  needed  to  carry  out  on  pro- 
jected lines  the  river  and  harbor  improvements.  If  something  of  this  character 
is  not  done,  this  generation,  which  is  being  taxed  to  raise  the  money  to  pay  for 
the  work  now  under  way,  will  get  but  very  little  of  the  benefits.  It  has  been 
stated  that  the  total  amount  appropriated  since  1820  for  river  and  harbor  work 
in  the  United  States  is  but  $450,000,000.  Holland,  with  a  population  of  6,000,000 
as  against  our  80,000,000  or  more,  has  expended  in  this  class  of  work 
$1,500,000,000.  France  has  expended  $1,120,000,000.  It  is  stated  that  the 
Manchester  Ship  Canal  cost  $75,000,000;  that  the  deepening  of  the  Clyde 
cost  $70,000,000 ;  that  on  the  improvement  of  Liverpool  Harbor  there  has 
been  expended  $200,000,000,  or  for  these  three  last-mentioned  undertakings 
$345,000,000,  as  in  contrast  with  the  United  States  with  an  expenditure  of 
$450,000,000  since  1820.  Patience  ceases  to  be  a  virtue  when  one  compares  the 
appropriations  made  since  1820  for  rivers  and  harbors  with  those  made  for 
pensions  and  the  Army  and  Navy,  which  amount  this  year  alone  to  $375- 
659,719.  Not  that  we  object  to  the  payment  of  pensions  or  the  proper  main- 
tenance of  the  Army  and  Navy,  but  we  do  object  and  protest  against  the 
niggardly  policy  which  obtains  so  far  as  concerns  the  action  of  Congress  toward 
the  improvement  of  our  rivers  and  harbors  as  compared  with  the  generosity 
in  other  directions.  The  same  Congress  which  votes  the  one  appropriation 
votes  the  other,  and  if  those  interested  made  their  wants  and  wishes  known 
as  they  should,  there  would  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  result ;  $50,000,000  a  •  year, 
or  more,  could  be  profitably  expended  in  this  country,  and  with  this  amount 
available  there  would  be  no  rivalry  as  to  which  project  should  receive  aid 
and  which  should  be  delayed.  Throughout  the  continent  of  Europe,  vast 
amounts  of  money  have  been  expended  in  the  improvement  of  the  rivers  and 
harbors,  and  it  must  be  self-evident  that  they  do  it  because  it  pays.  On  this 
question  the  London  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  best  authority  on  industrial 
ethics,  says  in  its  journal,  editorially,  that  "the  enormous  sums  expended  in 
France,  Germany,  Austria,  and  other  countries  on  the  Continent  in  construction 
of  canals  and  other  waterway  improvements  is,  from  this  enlightened  com- 
mercial policy,  giving  the  easiest  and  most  economical  transportation  of  their 
products  to  market,  and  unless  Great  Britain  adopts  similar  measures  she  will 
lose  her  preeminence  as  a  producing  nation."  As  to  the  benefits  to  come 
from  such  expenditures,  note  what  Mr.  Albert  Noble,  president  of  the  American 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers  and  one  of  the  consulting  engineers  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Railroad,  says: 

"  The  amount  of  saving  on  Lake  Superior  alone  during  the  year  1902  is 
within  $5,000,000  of  the  entire  amount  appropriated  by  the  United  States 
for  all  harbors  and  waterways  above  Niagara  Falls,  from  the  formation  of  the 
Government ;  if  the  commerce  between  Lake  Michigan  and  Lake  Erie  be 
included  the  annual  saving  greatly  exceeds  the  amount  thus  appropriated." 

But  why  continue?  No  argument  is  required  to  convince  the  people  of  the 
Northwest  of  the  necessity  for  these  improvements  and  the  benefits  that 
will  result  from  their  completion.  The  vital  question  is  not  as  to  their 


433351 


38       COLUMBIA    RIVER    AND    TRIBUTARIES    ABOVE    CELILO    FALLS. 

necessity,  but  as  to  the  time  of  their  completion.  This  rests  entirely  with  the 
people  themselves,  for  after  all  is  said  and  done,  they  are  the  masters  of  the 
situation  and  what  they  demand  will  be  carried  out  by  Congress.  This 
committee  will  further  all  they  can  an  intelligent  understanding  of  the  subject, 
to  the  end  that  the  works  affecting  the  Northwest  may  be  speedily  completed, 
and  it  confidently  relies  upon  the  support  of  the  entire  northwestern  country 
in  its  efforts  to  bring  about  a  condition  which  will  result  in  such  enormous  aud 
continuing  benefits  to  all  the  people. 
Respectfully  submitted. 

T.  D.  HONEYMAN, 
L.  A.  LEWIS. 
A.  H.  DEVEBS, 
HENBY  HAHN, 
EDWABD  NEWBEGIN, 
S.  M.  MEABS, 

Committee, 
J.  N.  TEAL,  Counsel. 

o 


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